Detectives Goren and Eames investigate the murder of a man found beaten to death. They discover that the victim was an international swindler who cheated a group of wealthy investors and romanced their foolish wives, but further evidence reveals the man is not who they thought he was. At first, Goren believes the group hire a hitman to teach the man a severe lesson. He also thinks the victim knew someone was setting him and up and sent someone else up to the room, where the killer beat up the wrong man. But the thug did not kill him, he only beat him up, and someone came along to finish the job. Then, Goren tries to lure the killer by appealing to his ego as the bait.