On vacation in San Francisco for personal reasons and to conduct a routine background check, Leslie Crow's ethics and grit come under threat. Her spirit is invigorated by a foreign diplomat's offer of vengeance. Meanwhile, Matt Grudge's skip trace through a tour of Portland's sprawling strip joints clouds his instincts with desire, and reveals a past he can't forget. Their paths merge to oppose a cunning and vicious adversary hell-bent on recovering his employer's secrets, and exterminating two private eyes called the Grunge Operatives.