Joe Trumble is a probation officer with a tragedy in his past. Two years ago his fiancee was brutally killed three days before their wedding. No one has yet been caught. As the story opens, Joe is heading for a blind date with Marlene, a jewellery designer, his first encounter with a woman since his late fiancee Laurel's death. The evening is a success, but next day Marlene is reported missing and, two days later, her body is found. As the last person to see her alive, Joe is at the very least a material witness and, as the evidence mounts and another body is found, suspicion begins to centre on him.