Nero Wolfe, an avid orchid collector, a great gourmet, a beer lover and a great detective, almost never leaves the house. He unravels all the crimes based on the facts collected by Archie Goodwin, his charming, ironic assistant with an excellent memory. At the final stage of a competition organized by a perfume company, one of the organizers is killed, and the answers to the final questions disappear from his wallet. All five finalists are under suspicion, and to avoid a scandal, the organizers ask Wolfe to find a sheet with the answers. Contrary to the opinion of the police, Wolfe adheres to the theory that the person who stole the answers and the killer are the same person.