Hoolihan is a recovering alcoholic and former homicide detective who lives with an obese man named Tobe in an unnamed American city.

Her former boss, mentor and personal friend "Colonel" Tom Rockwell, asks her to investigate the apparent suicide of his daughter Jennifer who, as a beautiful, intelligent, cheerful, popular woman, had no obvious reason for taking her own life.

She discovers that Jennifer was taking lithium, met a philandering salesman in the bar of a local hotel, and made uncharacteristic mistakes at work shortly before her death.

Hoolihan concludes that these blinds are meant either to provide the less astute investigator with a sense of "closure", or to indicate a greater bleakness, or nihilism.

After breaking down while attempting to communicate her findings to Rockwell - who immediately expresses his concern - Hoolihan heads for the nearest bar, knowing that the alcohol will kill her.