Emmett Deemus is a homeless, part-time window washer and self-proclaimed "detective" who aspires to its biggest prize: "The Detectives Hat Trick": "Single-handedly capturing The Gang, The Goods, and Mr. Big" all at once. He's given the chance to pull off this nearly impossible feat when he and a passing young woman are swept up in a kidnapping-for-ransom/drug-deal gone slightly awry.