Over-sized attorney Winston Barquist III is more than a little intriguedwhen he receives a check for five million dollars in the mail, with an attached note telling him to meet a fellow lawyer Robert Steinglass the next day for an explanation. However, when he arrives the next day for the meeting, he discovers that Robert is dead. Not one to accept unearned money, Winston jumps into detective mode to track down Robert's killer and learn why he was sent such a large check. Soon he finds himself embroiled with a wild melange of characters, from Middle Eastern terrorists to a crazy Ukranian widow to a headstrong marijuana farmer. Someone among these individuals killed Robert. Winston follows every lead that he can until he suddenly finds himself in a hospital bed suffering from polonium poisoning. In one of those rare situations where being overweight actually saves a person's life, Winston realizes that his girth has helped him survive the radioactive element in his system. But Winston may not be the only victim. He soon discovers other victims of the lethal poison and some of them are DEAD BUT STILL TICKING.