Ernest Hart, the Spider, is an unmatched jewel thief with an impeccable cover as a small appliance repairman near his mother's home in Collinsville, Illinois, across the Mississippi river from St. Louis, Mo. His Mafia handlers tell young Spider that he is the greatest jewel thief they have ever seen. Then they ruthlessly murder his girlfriend when they fear she will testify against them. Spider takes down their impenatrable hidden vault not once, but twice and the second time with a beautiful assassin from the Israeli Mossad. Her name is Irena but he refers to her as his angel. The Mob places a price on their heads. The small community where he has chosen to live never suspects his true profession. Spider has supported his mother for years, but when she dies he kicks his career into high gear and plans to retire to Alabama with his girl friend. Her murder at the hands of the mob angers him and catapults his activity as a burglar, this time picking his own high-value targets. Spider and Irena escape to her home in Israel with the blessing of the FBI. Spider is a wealthy man now but he knows his career as a burglar is just beginning.