A rare first edition from a pioneer author goes missing in the mystery novels-specialized Kinsey bookshop during remodeling by the local firm of Tyler Dell, who recently lost his father, a Vietnam veteran. Retired English teacher Jim Carter, who overheard everything, is murdered shortly after a row in Reverend Tucker's homeless shelter Haven with aggressive lush Murphy. Rude police chief Connors isn't up to an investigation while the killer keeps sniping, so the bookstore's armchair sleuths duo does it alone, starting from a lacquered box left by Jim for his illegitimate daughter, who never even knew his name. It starts a set of cues, slowly unraveling a grim intrigue starting during a 1965 US illegal intrusion into Red Khmer territory.