A private detective is hired by the FBI and the Honolulu police to recover a set of pearls treated with radium and used in a few murders. The detective is sent to live on a small Hawaiian island with the other 3 eccentric inhabitants who knew the murderer. He poses as a writer and attempts to integrate himself into the island life, and the lives of the individuals there: a retired colonel, an older stargazing astrology buff, and a beautiful blond with a penchant for nude sunbathing. Where are the pearls?