Vera Sculthorpe subsidises her pension by fortune-telling at a city tearoom. When one of her regular customers is stalked by a young man, she has the misfortune of 'seeing' his deeds.
In another part of Brisbane, a young police photographer, Senior Constable Kerry Harmer attends an incident, possibly an accident or suicide. When too many similar incidents occur, Kerry begins to suspect a serial killer is loose in the steamy river-city she loves.
Rod Norris is a bank-teller who has no taste for his work. He loves the little luxuries in life, the feel of silk undies against his skin, high-heeled shoes that would have wowed them at Cloudlands and smart youngsters who share his own impeccable sense of fashion. He collects them all.
While temperatures rise in River City, high summer and tropical blossoms make the night air heavy with their perfumes - and people go missing.