starring irene ng as the title character, the series revolves around the adventures of a chinese american teenage girl who lives with her innkeeper grandfather and works as a non-sworn intern at the local police department where she helps out with odds and ends around the office. occasionally an intriguing case comes to shelby's attention, prompting her to apply her unique insight and enlist the help of her friends to solve it. her supervisors, however, do not appreciate her help, as she is only a teenager. her grandfather also does not want her getting involved in cases, often reminding her, "we are not detectives with warrant badges, we are innkeepers with brooms." many of the stories, with three clear suspects, keep the audience guessing until the truth is ultimately explained.