1950s L.A. Down-at-heel private eye back from the war takes a case he doesn't want but can't afford to turn down. Along the way, he runs afoul of the mob. Their tame cops are leaning on him. People around him start dying.
The client is lying. The Feds are lying. Even his friends are lying.
The only bright light is the librarian he's fallen for whose life he puts at risk.
He can handle all that, but now he's...