Bernie Weinstock and his young assistant Robin Bright are a couple of struggling private detectives running their office in a run down caravan in the back garden. Facing debt collectors, they get a stroke of luck when they are contacted by solicitor Roland Tolhurst to do a job that could be worth as much as £30,000. On the orders of his wealthy client Lord Algrave, Tolhurst tells the pair they must locate the whereabouts of six people on a list and give them a sealed envelope, with two curious questions to be asked to prove their identity. They are "Who was the timekeeper?" and "How long before the Indian Princess arrived?" Each person found will earn them £5,000. But as they begin their search, it seems there are others with interest in the case, and one person in particular has murderous intentions to stop them completing the task.