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Intro
Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins is caught off guard when a White man in an off-white suit approaches him at Joppy’s bar, an establishment in Watts, a predominantly Black Los Angeles neighborhood. Joppy, the bar’s owner and a former boxer, introduces the man as Mr. DeWitt Albright, claiming they are old friends. Albright, aware that Easy recently lost his job, offers him employment tracking down a missing woman. Joppy advises Easy to accept the job but warns him to avoid getting too involved.
A World War II veteran, Easy moved to Los Angeles after the war and purchased a house, which he considers his greatest achievement. However, his recent firing from the Champion Aircraft plant has left him unable to pay his mortgage. Desperate, Easy accepts Albright’s offer. Albright wants him to find Daphne Monet, a White woman who vanished after an argument with one of Albright’s “friends.” Since Daphne frequents Black clubs and bars where Albright would stand out, he offers Easy $100 to start his search at John’s speakeasy, one of her regular spots. Despite the generous pay, Albright unsettles Easy, reminding him of Raymond “Mouse” Alexander, a violent and unpredictable friend from his past.
At John’s, Hattie Parsons, who controls entry to the club, greets Easy. She mentions that a chauffeur, Howard Green, was found beaten to death nearby, but no one knows who is responsible. Inside, Easy shares a beer with Junior Fornay, the speakeasy’s bouncer, and they discuss the murder. The violence reminds Easy once more of Mouse, and he recalls their last encounter years earlier, in Houston’s Fifth Ward, when Mouse confessed to murdering his stepbrother, Navrochet, in self-defense. (Years before that, Mouse had also murdered his stepfather while Easy waited in the getaway vehicle.) That same night, Easy vowed to leave Texas forever, and he hasn’t spoken to Mouse since.
After talking to Junior, Easy drinks with club regulars Odell, Dupree, and Coretta. Dupree, one of Easy’s former coworkers, encourages him to return to his job at the plant, claiming that their boss is willing to rehire him. At the end of the night, Easy and Coretta take the drunk Dupree home. Despite the fact that Coretta is dating Dupree, she seduces Easy. Over the course of the night, she reveals that she is friends with Daphne Monet and discloses the alleged identity of Daphne’s boyfriend, giving Easy a new lead to pursue.
Returning home, Easy discovers a letter in the mail from Mouse, suggesting that they get together and catch up soon. The letter unnerves Easy, and he drinks himself to sleep. In the middle of the night, he’s awoken by a phone call from Albright asking him to meet at the Santa Monica pier. When Easy arrives, he is accosted by a group of young White men, but Albright shows up brandishing a pistol and scares the group away. Easy informs Albright that Daphne is dating a gangster named Frank Green, and Albright, pleased, gives him another $100 and a business card to contact if he needs more work.
The next day, Easy visits the Champion plant to speak with his former boss, Benny Giacomo, but is intercepted by Dupree, who tells him Coretta has vanished—a puzzling development. Giacomo offers Easy his old job back if he apologizes for his recent outburst, but Easy refuses. When he returns home, two detectives, Miller and Mason, are waiting to drag him to the police station. They interrogate and assault him, demanding details about his night with Coretta and Dupree, before eventually letting him go. On his way home, Easy is stopped by a black Cadillac and forced inside. He meets former mayoral candidate Matthew Teran, who asks about Daphne’s whereabouts. Easy stays silent, but he notices a neglected, frightened boy clinging to Teran, who refers to the child as “his boy.” Easy suspects something sinister.
Teran drops Easy at John’s, where Hattie informs him that Coretta was found brutally murdered, just like Howard Green. Later, Easy receives a panicked call from Junior, who reveals he knows Daphne and her boyfriend, Frank Green. Hours later, Daphne herself calls, claiming she got Easy’s number from Coretta and asking for a ride to her friend Richard McGee’s house. Easy is immediately attracted to Daphne, but when they arrive at McGee’s, they discover he’s been stabbed to death. Daphne flees after passionately kissing Easy.
Returning home, Easy finds Albright in the kitchen. Albright threatens him, demanding he locate Frank Green after learning that Daphne has fled. Though Easy agrees, he secretly begins investigating Albright. He meets Todd Carter, the wealthy banker who hired Albright, and learns Daphne stole $30,000. Carter insists he doesn’t care about the money—he just wants Daphne back. Easy warns Carter that Albright has ulterior motives.
Searching for Frank Green—who sells bootlegged liquor—Easy strategically visits a local poolhall, brothel, barbershop, and liquor store but discovers little. Days later, Frank breaks into Easy’s home and threatens him, only to be scared off by Mouse’s well-timed arrival. Reluctantly, Easy allows Mouse to help with the case but insists he follow Easy’s lead and avoid impulsive violence. Mason and Miller arrest Easy once again, informing him that Matthew Teran has been found dead. However, they release him when fingerprints on the knife that killed Richard McGee fail to match his.
Easy and Mouse confront Junior, whom Easy accuses of killing McGee. Junior confesses, explaining he acted out of frustration when McGee failed to pay him money he had promised. Later, Daphne calls Easy, asking to meet at a motel. To protect her, Easy takes her to a secluded hotel owned by Primo, an old friend. Daphne insists that Easy stay, and they spend a romantic night together. She reveals she once dated McGee but left him after discovering he trafficked children to Teran. When she revealed this information to Todd Carter, her new boyfriend, he used his power to derail Teran’s mayoral campaign.
The next day, Daphne confesses over lunch that her father sexually abused her as a teenager. Returning to the hotel room, Albright and Joppy suddenly ambush them, knocking Easy unconscious and abducting Daphne. Easy tracks Albright to his home, where he finds Albright and Joppy interrogating a restrained Daphne about the stolen $30,000. In the ensuing chaos, Mouse arrives, shooting and killing both Albright and Joppy. He also reveals Daphne’s true identity: Ruby Hanks, a biracial woman and the half-sister of Frank Green (whom Mouse also killed). Easy is disappointed to learn that Joppy killed Howard and Coretta. Daphne confesses to murdering Teran, triggered by her own trauma, and rescuing the boy he was abusing. She asks Easy to ensure the child is cared for. Mouse divides the $30,000 among the three of them, and Daphne leaves for good.
The following day, Easy seeks Carter’s help clearing his name. Grateful to Easy for saving Daphne’s life, Carter agrees. The police ultimately pin the murders on Joppy, Frank Green, and Junior, exonerating Easy. Months later, Easy tells Odell that he’s become a private investigator. Tending to his flowers, he asks Odell if it’s wrong to protect one criminal while exposing others. Odell says it’s all about luck, and they both laugh.
