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. The book includes three stories in which Wolfe undertakes an investigation to prove the innocence of the shoe shiner and drop the charges against Archie, who was framed by him acquaintance, and at the same time once again tell the police that she is following the wrong trail.