In post-war Kansas City of 1946. Vivian Frisco, a grieving war widow and telephone switchboard operator, is thrust into a dangerous investigation after her Japanese friend is murdered. With the police indifferent due to the victim's ethnicity, Vivian reluctantly takes up the detective mantle her late husband left behind. With the help of a dashing Army Air Corps pilot, Derek O'Brien, Vivian navigates the seedy underbelly of the city, meeting a variety of characters from political bosses to prize fighters to bookies. Following each lead, Derek and Vivian uncover hidden refugees and face ruthless adversaries as they not only seek justice for her friend and closure for his family but also find a path to overcoming her own grief in a brighter tomorrow.