Lionel "Ex" Exley is a golf pro who returns to his hometown of New Orleans, where he befriends lawyer W. Firmin Carter. When Carter suddenly goes missing, however, the party's over for Ex, as he's the prime suspect.

Among the rich in New Orleans, it's the lush life for Lionel Exley, a golf hustler and heavy drinker. Released from an Arkansas jail, "Ex" returns to the Big Easy and starts a friendship with another heavy drinker, attorney Firman Carter. Often waking with no memory of how he got to bed, Ex becomes the object of affection of two wealthy sisters, Rachel and Ashley Van Dyke. Ex also keeps bumping into various local oddballs, pals of the eccentric Carter. When Carter goes missing and the police suspect Ex of foul play, it may be time for him to put down his glass and sort out reality from the haze.—<[email protected]>