Sam Baines, a private detective working in Washington, DC is on a chase to find the missing Maria Caldon. He finds her and she becomes a good friend and leads him to the dishonest Congressman Hemp who is selling top-secret information to the Russians. The trail leads to other conspirators, some of which Sam and Maria discover are linked to a DoD spy ring that goes beyond the congressman.

FBI Agent Dickins and his staff are drawn to the city of Wetley, Idaho, Congressman Hemps' home state. His involvement in espionage results in his opponent being elected by his constituents. Even though the FBI determines that Hemp is deeply involved in spy activities, he is smart enough to convince the court that he is not guilty by reason of insanity. His cooperation with the FBI eventually gets him free, but his troubles are not over yet.

The plot also involves Hemp's deceased Great-grandfather Ransom who is buried near the Wetley home. The turn of events seems to be going along in Hemp's favor until his abusive behavior causes his housekeepers to turn against him and accomplish what the FBI was never able to do.