The year is 1950. Johnny Hardwood used to be an actor, but he got typecast playing detectives. So, he quit the business and became what people thought he should be. Now he's got a big case involving a man named Mort Peters, who embezzled money from a major film studio and then faked his death, leaving a penniless widow behind. Johnny's tracked him to a little place south of Sacramento, in the middle of nowhere. On the outside, Herbie's Diner is just...