Contrary to the dazzling wealth, glitz and glamour portrayed in the media, the Upper East Side of Manhattan is not only glass penthouses hedge fund managers, and $500 dinners.

There are also ordinary side streets where hard-working singles rent, where roommates split expenses, where elderly women live orderly lives. For many of them, home means a loving animal, the steadfast presence that shares a life, hears a secret, heals a hurt, claims the heart.

That’s how it is for long-term resident Rosa Bassetti. There is no better friend than Princess, her arthritic Poodle. Rosa’s neighbor, Eileen Hargan, feels the same about Fibber, McGee, her little Boston Terrier. Strangers at first, the two senior citizens become friends as they meet while walking their dogs, come sun, rain, or snow.

The Pennyfoot hides many secrets and its downstairs staff keeps a tight lip, even when the Edwardian aristocrats are spotted dallying with damsels in the boudoirs, or gambling in the forbidden card rooms hidden below the floorboards. Should now and then one of the hotel guests fall prey to a dastardly murderer, however, it is up to Cecily Sinclair to restore order before Scotland Yard steps in and shuts down her infamous seaside hotel.