A valuable racehorse is stolen and held for ransom. The kidnappers want Mike to deliver the ransom money, because they figure he won't be able to identify them. After the money is paid and the horse recovered, Mike begins to piece together clues that lead him to the kidnappers' identities. The investigation takes Mike down a winding path of murder, infidelity, family secrets, greed and betrayal.
Mike travels to a lonely roadside diner to meet the representative of a gang that stole a valuable jade chess set, in order to pay the ransom for its return. The man he is supposed to meet is a no-show as a hurricane blows through, stranding Mike and a group of fellow travelers. When the power goes out and plunges the café into total darkness, one of the customers is murdered with a steak knife. With a restaurant full of suspects, Mike wonders if the dead man is related to his insurance case.