The story of Walter L. Shaw, a telecommunications genius, and his son Walter T. Shaw, a ruthless jewel thief, is a metaphor and a symbol for its time - for the twentieth century and for today.

A traveling cellist gets involved with two disturbed sisters on their way to Seattle to tell their mom that their dad has just passed away. On the way, the two kill a judge and a few others unknown to the cellist. Eventually he gets pinned for the crimes and is forced to defend himself.