Hap Collins is hitting the hard edge of a midlife crisis. By night, he's bouncing at a local club. By day, he's living by the grace of his best friend - black, gay Vietnam vet Leonard Pine - and his good woman, former Sweet Potato Queen Brett Sawyer. Hap may be down, but he's a long throw from out. That's the good news. He'll need it for the bad news. Brett's daughter, Tillie, who is turning tricks and taking drugs, stands in need of a quick and merciful rescue. It will be no easy chore, starting with a hard trek from mosquito-ridden but familiar LaBorde, Texas to the fleshpots and hardasses of Hootie Hoot, Oklahoma. On the road the trio picks up new friends, like a hulking Pentecostal preacher and retired hit man, as well as fresh enemies, including a redheaded midget with a giant chip on his shoulder and an army of bikers turned vice profiteers and cold-blooded killers.