After a group of young revolutionaries break into a company's corporate headquarters and steal $5|000|000 worth of heroin to keep it off the street| they call on San
Francisco Police Lieutenant Virgil Tibbs for assistance. Tibbs is understandably reticent about helping the radicals| since they broke a number of laws (despite a
good cause)| but when the group is also accused of a murder it didn't commit| Tibbs decides to go along| but without the police department's knowledge.