A private investigator is drawn into a dangerous web of deceit after a young girl falls to her death from the Golden Gate Bridge. Walter Brackett, a cynical San Francisco private eye, finds himself entangled in a case involving a vulnerable teenager who sought his assistance before her untimely demise. As he navigates the city's underbelly, Brackett faces opposition from shadowy figures who wish to keep the truth of the girl's life and death buried. The narrative follows a classic hardboiled framework, utilizing a gritty, first-person perspective to detail the investigation's progression through the urban landscape.

Discussion often centers on the novel's adherence to the classic hardboiled tropes established by mid-century crime writers. Readers frequently highlight the atmospheric depiction of San Francisco, which serves as a central character in the unfolding mystery. Critics often note the author's ability to maintain a consistent sense of tension throughout the investigation. The balance between the protagonist's internal monologue and the external action is frequently cited as a defining feature of the work's pacing.