 Matthew Pogue, Virgil Tibbs  former partner in Philadelphia, arrives in Sparta. Now a private investigator, Matt tries to entice Virgil to work with him in their old mode of "hammer and glove." At the station, FBI agent McGraw asks Chief Gillespie for cooperation in protecting an important witness. At the Tibbs  dinner party, Althea tells Joanne that she had a history with Matt before Virgil came along. During the night, Matt slips out, steals a car and kills two FBI agents and their witness. When the crime is discovered, Matt offers to help Virgil with forensics, which gives him the opportunity to doctor the evidence. Later Matt invades McGraw s motel room and murders him in revenge. The solution to the case is devastating.