Sgt. Joe Friday (Jack Webb) and Officer Frank Smith (Ben Alexander) are Los Angeles Police Department detectives, and they need every bit of skill they have to solve their latest case: the shooting death of low-end bookie Miller Starkie. While initial evidence points to gangster Max Troy (Stacy Harris) and his trigger-man, Chester Davitt, Friday and Smith have trouble getting an indictment. Only through their own tenaciousness can they make sure justice is served.