When the first black supervisor at a Texas Gulf Coast refinery turns up dead behind an abandoned drive-in theater, attorney Dan Esperson gets drawn into a tangled web of intrigue, deception, and violence after a Texas Ranger comes to investigate. A pretty refinery secretary, Sheila Mills confesses that her husband Zack killed the supervisor, but she’ll never testify against him. Zack is released from jail for lack of evidence, and Dan may be next on his list.