The year is 1957. The sun-tanned citizenry of Los Angeles is in the grip of a bizarre series of murders.
Alfred Hitchcock, comfortably in residence at the studio, is developing his latest film when he receives what he thinks is a practical joke . . . a painting from an old friend and fellow director . . . a painting in the style of Paul Klee depicting a woman who resembles the actress selected for Hitch's next film . . . wrapped in a strange necklace. Shortly after receiving the painting, Hitchcock's friend turns up murdered and the "prank" painting is suddenly something more - a clue to the identity of the criminal who has paralysed the city.
Joining forces with LAPD detective Mark Ruttles, Hitch sets out on a trail that takes the pair from the mansions of Beverly Hills to the haunts of forgotten starlets to the docks of Long Beach harbour as the mystery grows more and more like a thrilling Hitchcockian film itself.