When David's father dies in 1946, the teenager should have inherited a fortune. Instead, a cousin knocks him out, puts him on a boat, and sets it afire on the open sea. David is never seen again.
Sixteen years later, just before the estate's settlement, a trustee asks an actor to impersonate David. He believes the new heir killed David and wants Nick to flush him out.
The idea of being bait worries Nick. But the money's good. And it's one way to get to Hollywood.
Then he falls for David's childhood friend, and she's suspicious enough to confide in the one person she shouldn't: David's murderer.
In an era of clacking typewriters and rotary phones, gentlemen tip hats and ladies wear gloves, but evil still hides beneath the most refined exteriors.