John Dortmunder a servant? Not exactly a servant, of course; rather, he plays his part in the heavily guarded mansion of crooked tycoon Monroe Hall. After being ousted from the corporation, he surrounded himself with a fleet of vintage cars, but Hall soon realizes that he has new needs - from driving to cooking - which Dortmunder and his gang eagerly took on. Dortmunder's plan was this: get rid of him in one fell swoop. from the current servants and replace her with his own guys, and then pack up and leave with the stolen goods. There's just one problem. Monroe Hall has as many enemies as he has antiques. And before Dortmunder can begin the robbery, Hall disappears from his mansion, and at the same time the cops show up on the doorstep. A serious crime has been committed, and Dortmunder finds itself in the worst place possible. Because everyone knows: if something bad happens in a mansion... it's always the servant's fault!