Inheriting unexpected millions has left reporter Jim Qwilleran looking like the cat who swallowed the canary. While his two Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum adjust to eing fat cats in an enormous mansion, Qwilleran samples the life styles of the rich and famous by hiring a staff of eccentric servants.

Former award winning news reporter Jim Qwilleran is assigned to the art world as his new news beat. When a murderer sicks a knife in the neck of a local gallery owner and goes berserk among the works on show, Qwilleran gets help from his Siamese cat solving the mystery.

Qwilleran's prospects for quiet on his return to Pickax are thwarted by a noisy bird, his girl's wandering attention, and the murder accusation leveled against his friend.

With his companion Polly in Paris, Qwill keeps himself occupied by writing an absurdist play called "The Cat Who Got Elected Dog Catcher." Meanwhile, things are spicing up in Pickax. Huge inheritances from old families are suddenly and mysteriously pouring in to town, but nobody is quite sure why. Except Koko, that is--and she's not telling. Then things get really interesting when one resident drops dead from an apparent bee sting. Can Qwill and his...