Kiki Pew Fitzsimmons is a member of the Palm Beach social elite. She is 73, twice married, and a staunch supporter of the brash new President who resides at the nearby resort of Casa Bellicosa. Kiki and her friends have formed an organization called the POTUS Pussies. To make their name more acceptable in polite company, they refer to themselves as the Potussies.

On the night of January 23, Kiki disappears from an exclusive charity gala at the Lipid House estate. An extensive search of the grounds reveals nothing. Her friends harass the police to no avail, then head to their usual haunt: “That evening, the Potussies gamely dressed up and gathered at Casa Bellicosa. They left an empty chair where Kiki Pew Fitzsimmons usually sat, and ordered a round of Tito’s martinis in her honor” (9).

The next day, Mauricio, the groundskeeper on the Lipid estate, realizes that one of his workmen has vanished, leaving a large lawnmower still running. He tracks the man, Jesus, to his house. Jesus is an illegal alien and fears being questioned by the police about the missing woman. Mauricio gets him to confess that he saw something horrible near the koi pond.