Skilled housebreaker Ray Stokes can afford to enjoy a wasteful playboy existence thanks to the generous support of grotesquely wealthy Walter Cartwell, a Chicago crime lord. Handsomely paid for the past five years, Ray has become one of Walter's most trusted employees, depended on to steal coveted treasures from the homes of private collectors. Ray's captivating looks and distinction as a ladies' man persuade Walter to assign him the unusual task of getting romantically close to Merriam Woolcroft, a pretty church secretary. Apparently, Merriam is the mistress of Reverend Arnold Sinclair, a shady South Boston clergyman whose community activities have identified him as a powerful trafficker of stolen antiques. Although mildly curious if Sinclair's vestry is stocked with priceless art, one solitary object occupies Walter's interest: a famed emerald-studded 22-karat gold necklace purloined from a museum thirty years earlier. Convinced that the reverend has this long-lost relic, Walter maintains that Ray should focus on stealing Merriam's heart to locate the necklace, unaware that manipulating a woman is far more complex and dangerous than manipulating locks. Escalating tension and unexpected twists turn the stealthy treasure hunt into a ruthless fight for survival.