Agent West raids a local warehouse in an attempt to apprehend a suspected opium gang member. As he struggles with the suspect, a new secret agent named Bosley Cranston rushes in and attempts to help. Unfortunately, he only makes matters worse, accidentally toppling a piano crate on the suspect and killing him. Cranston, however, is not the meek incompetent he appears and later surprises his colleagues with his karate skills and his popularity with beautiful women.

Agent West is summoned by a note from agent Gordon to the local barbershop. While waiting for Gordon, West decides to have a shave and is promptly anesthetised by a hot towel from one of Dr. Loveless's assistants, working in disguise. When he wakes up, he finds himself in a carnival funhouse where he encounters dazed-looking Justice Alonzo Fairlie. Before he can get any information from the judge, he is attacked by a quartet of gunmen. He quickly dispatches his adversaries but Justice Fairlie disappears in the confusion, leaving behined a strange clue.

West and Pike receive a note to meet a woman at a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco with a promise of information about the militant Din Chang who has recently stolen a supply of fulminate of mercury from a military arsenal. Unfortunately, the woman is killed before they can talk to her and the only word she utters is "Pelican". To further complicate matters, the only person they manage to capture is supposedly still serving time at Alcatraz. Since it seems that Alcatraz and the woman are the two pieces they have of the puzzle, the two split up to track down Chang before he can use the volatile mercury.

A melody holds the clue West needs to trap a departmental traitor.