At first Nudger didn't think anything of the female corpses being fished from the Mississippi. He was disgusted, naturally, but they had no relevance to his case. It was just a horrible scene he had to tolerate while speaking with Lieutenant Hammersmith. Nudger needs Hammersmith's help. Vietnam vet Jake Dancer has hit bottom—sleepless nights, aimless walks, a yearning for booze, and two thugs harassing him—and his comely girlfriend, Helen Crane, hires Nudger to find out what or who is behind Jake's misery.