A cabal of corrupt politicians stoop to murder as part of a conspiracy to ensure the Chinese government retains its investment in a natural gas plant in Northern Australia. They frame American sailors just posted to the country and crusading journalist Grant Mars sets out to uncover the Darwin Plot and bring it to the attention of law enforcement. Plodding Detective Gerard Penman is put on the case to find the missing murdered girl and so begins a chase between Penman and Mars to reveal the truth of the murder and the conspiracy, though, in reality, they are working side by side. The American sailors are framed by the planting of a Dixie Cup (a piece of US Navy headwear) and an insignia of rank at the murder scene. The murder is committed by a gang of locally hired thugs, all of whom are murdered themselves to keep them quiet. Penman gradually unravels the plot, despite his repeated conflicts with his immediate superior and Mars writes article after article in the local newspaper Northern Territory News to inform the public.