Nero Wolfe is hired to find the missing son of James R Herold of Omaha With Archie Goodwin doing all the work this is no problem, and Paul is found alive and well, living under an assumed name However, he has been convicted of murdering his mistress's husband, and Wolfe sets out to prove that he was framed When one of the investigators is killed it becomes apparent that there is more to Michael Molloy's death than meets the eye