When Lieutenant Baron Dunning is sent to Nigeria to investigate the plundering of natural resources for use in biological warfare, he can't guess that the money trail will lead him to Wisconsin's lavish Woebegone Dunes Resort ... and an abandoned research site known as Gravestone Castle. Competition for ownership of the resort and the castle has resulted in a series of freakish deaths, and Dunning's sleuthing brings him into contact with a plethora of odd characters:

• Bo-Bo Bigelow, the world's largest exporter of misappropriated oil and rare earth minerals. He wants to convert the Hermitage at Gravestone Castle into a playboy mansion.
• Jack Daniels, who sees Gravestone Castle as the ideal headquarters for the Royal Enouement Society, a secret club for objectivists.
• Father Feely, a talented but corrupt priest who's indebted to Bo-Bo Bigelow.
• Professor Adam Baum, a brilliant biological researcher with the personality of a serial killer.
• Deputy Sheriff Bud Light, a brandy-swigging Green Bay Packers fan who finds himself in over his head when confronted with the ghastly murders.
• Crystal Glass, the enchanting reporter who sweeps Dunning off his feet.

Can Lieutenant Dunning find the answers he seeks -- to the case or to life's deep philosophical questions -- amidst the chaos?