It's winter in San Francisco and Jonas Watcher is waking up on a floating dock under a pier of the Wharf next to the bay. He is beyond hang overs and the DT's and has no memory of how he ended up on the dock. Climbing up a ladder he is suddenly hit with a large object that carries him back down, not on to the wooden dock, but into the Bay. He struggles to stay alive using adrenalin and his reflexes. After he recovers from being thrown into the Bay, Jonas finds he is the recipient of a substantial sum of money, a change of clothes, and a colt forty-four. He finds a temporary place to sleep for the night only to wake up entangled in a mystery of with a femme fatale, a missing man, and a dead private detective. He tries to extricate himself but only becomes more entrenched dealing with the very rich where he uncovers blackmail, kidnapping and even murder. He has one dubious ally in the guise of an intelligent San Francisco police detective who has an agenda of his own. It's the nineteen thirties and Jonas Watcher must solve the Case of the Running Bag if he wants to stay alive.
