Los Angeles, 1948. Easy Rawlins takes on a job: he's supposed to track down the mysterious Daphne Monet, who vanished without a trace after an affair with a politician. To pay the mortgage on his house, he takes on a job: he's supposed to track down the mysterious Daphne Monet, who vanished without a trace after an affair with a local politician. The seemingly harmless assignment soon draws Easy into a web of murder, blackmail, brutal police, and corrupt local politicians.