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 on the basis of the facts collected by Archie Goodwin, his charming, ironic assistant with an excellent memory. Wolfe is approached by Paul Whipple, a black man who many years ago helped the detective in the investigation of a crime, with a request to find out why his son wants marry a rich white girl. Wolfe, bound by the concept of duty, reluctantly agrees. But then the girl is killed, and her black fiance is arrested, because they suspect that he is the killer. Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin undertake to investigate this case...