Tony Petrocelli, a bright young layer practicing in the rich cattle town of Baker, becomes embroiled in a murder case. In a private hospital, Petrocelli heads Doctor Jack Harrison, one of the two brothers who own the institution, tell a bizarre story: The previous evening he and his wife Wilma arrives home from a ranch barbecue with a group of friends, Jack, exhausted by a long day in the operating room, fell asleep on the couch. He was awakened late by the sound of someone calling his name—he was sure it was his wife. The guests were gone. He rushed upstairs, cause a glimpse of a form in the room and then was struck on the back of the head. Regaining consciousness and hearing something downstairs, he rushed down the study and was knocked out again. Later, he found his wife, dead.
