It’s yuletide week in South Chicago as a flash electric storm whips the street. Inside the 10th district police station chief Mathews and his clerk Daly are passing the time over a game of chess. Suddenly like a bolt from heaven a windowpane crashes and a parcel fastened to a fist size rock crashes to the floor…

Sam Tyler came face to face with death when he lost face with Nick Fazenda the big guy who liked his racket boys tough and nerveless. Sam had a streak of chicken mix and knew too much to be kept alive but he feared dying as he had never done a decent thing in his life. But when Nick shot him he failed to die, he shot again and again and still Sam did not die. Sam had been given his wish to do one decent thing before he died.