Hammer Spade is a small time private investigator and bail bondsman in Durham, North Carolina. He also takes court ordered counseling cases for husband and wife disagreements. Basically, he will do anything that makes a buck. He is recently divorced and his personal life is in limbo. His office is in a blighted part of town but it is close to the courthouse and the county law enforcement complex. One morning when he is sleeping off a bad hangover, a famous international model calls on him. Her husband did not return on the day he was supposed to and she hires Hammer to locate him. There is an air of mystery about her and soon Hammer gets involved with her equally mysterious family who are exiles from their home country. They are unbelievably rich. Soon, the seeds are planted for some dramatic changes in Hammer's life. But first, he must locate an eccentric writer named Bernard Hatcher.