Undercover as a tourist on a fishing holiday, FBI agent Rigby is in Carlotta off the west coast of Central America on a case to discover the people behind an illegal operation of selling American fighter jet engines in South America, the masterminds having infiltrated a war surplus program. The FBI has determined that Carlotta is the transit point to move the goods. Rigby is informed by his superior Gibbs that the chief suspects are an American couple living in Carlotta, Tugwell and Elizabeth Hintten. On the surface, they are on hard times, Tug having worked for an airline doing air mail and cargo services before he was fired for unknown reasons. He, hitting the bottle in the aftermath, now spends his days aboard his boat again in unknown pursuits, while Elizabeth works as a cleaner by day and torch singer by night at a club called Pedro's. Arriving in Carlotta, Rigby believes that two other men may be involved: one he calls the "pie-shaped" man who has a gimp foot, whom he learns is named J.J. Bealer; and Carwood, an American businessman with dealings in Peru, who has stopped off in Carlotta to do some fishing before he heads back to the States. The further Rigby observes the suspects, the more he believes the three men are, indeed, involved. The wild card is Elizabeth, whom he believes is not involved, but could get caught up in the crime regardless. Or are Rigby's thoughts about Elizabeth clouded by the fact that he is falling in love with her?
—Huggo