A tropical storm isn't the only thing brewing in the New Orleans' French Quarter in 1956. When someone threatens Reverend Fountain's singer friend Genny Duval, asking her to pay money for a song she recently recorded, and the woman who brokered the deal can't be found, Fountain can't help but investigate. Is it a Payola scheme gone awry? A song on the radio, a note handed to Miss Genny on stage, a DeSoto FireFlite in a garage, and the murder of a DJ in Biloxi, Mississippi puts his sleuthing skills to the test. But when a young woman is murdered, with Detective Robicheaux assigned to the case, Fountain fears that if they don't crack the case in time, Miss Genny might be next.