Wendy Adair, as brave as she is beautiful, escapes with secret documents from a South American revolution. En route to Washington, she eludes a sinister pursuer by darting into a Pullman compartment, where she finds herself confronted with Van Tyler, a young Congressman and confirmed bachelor. Their story unfolds against the glowing tapestry of the nation's capital in the winter of 1948-49. A drugged dog, political strife, orchids, and a missing automatic are a few of the colorful threads that interlace.