The first victim is the butler of South African millionaire Wexler, who engages hard-hitting private eye Steve Martin to defend him from the wrath of his employer. As soon as Martin arrives to the patriarch's opulent Cape Town mansion, he meets members of the patriarch's family and close associates – as well as potential suspects. Martin sets out on a mission to uncover the names of the men seen in an old World War II image before they become the second and fifth victims of the slaughter.