Morris Bellamy is a fan of author John Rothstein and his beloved character Jimmy Gold, but livid that Rothstein hasn't published in decades and now has sold the character rights to Jimmy Gold to an advertising firm, Bellamy kills Rothstein, robs him, and finds notebooks containing the notes for another Jimmy Gold novel in the process. He is sent to jail for another crime, however, and the notebooks remain hidden for decades until they are found by thirteen-year-old Pete Saubers. Now, Pete and his family are in Bellamy's crosshairs when the psychopath is released after thirty-five years in prison.