Interrupted at dinner by a street kid with a strange story, Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin find themselves drawn into a strange case when their young informant is found murdered. The victim's mother soon appears with his life savings totally $4.30, Wolfe's fee for taking the case! Archie's fancy legwork brings Wolfe to a mysterious woman with golden spider earrings. And when everyone else investigating the matter hits a dead end, only the inimitable Wolfe can get to the bottom of the crime.

When the reigning Santa is no longer fit for duty his helpers must search for a replacement. This leads to a wacky, exhausting hunt and doesn't turn up exactly what Santa's angels hoped for. To make matters worse still, "Santy" winds up being just this side of totally undesirable.

Walter and his 12-year-old son Henry are a pair of New York City street musicians living at poverty level in an empty Brooklyn lot. When Walter has a nervous breakdown, it's up to Henry to find his father's long-lost family, including the grandfather and aunt he's never met.

A Cuban emigre, living in Miami and involved in an affair with the American seaman who rescued her and her daughter years earlier, must face her husband after he is unexpectedly released from a Cuban prison.

King Nicholas XX is ready to retire and pass the throne to his son, Nick St. Nicholas. But he is a no-show, preferring his lavish seaside lifestyle and sexy girlfriend.