Nero Wolfe is a passionate orchid collector, a great gourmand, a beer lover, and a brilliant detective. He practically never leaves home. He solves all crimes based on the facts gathered by Archie Goodwin—his charming, ironic assistant with excellent memory. One day, an unfamiliar girl comes to Wolfe and announces from the doorstep that she plans to stay here for some time. Wolfe throws the uninvited guest out onto the street, and the next day he learns that the girl has been murdered. Since Wolfe believes there’s no client—there’s no case, Archie Goodwin starts investigating—but ends up in jail himself. Then Wolfe has no choice but to name Archie as his client, so he can get him out of prison and find the murderer.