Nick Dioli is a world-weary private investigator, who spends most of his time at the bar down the street from his office. Most days are slow, and that's the way he likes it. But when the love of his life, local bartender, Kim Riley, tells him there is a local judge willing to pay a lot of money to have his runaway daughter transported home from Appalachia, Nick figures it will be easy money. However, when he locates the girl, he is promptly kidnapped by the girl's grandmother-an old lady who runs a cupcake bakery-and finds himself mixed up in a murder investigation. From masked, gun-toting thugs to corrupt, do-anything-for-a-dollar land developers, Nick's going to need a few drinks to get through this one.