The year is 1964, and though Easy seems settled into honest work as a Los Angeles custodian, he's having other problems - notably, his adopted son's wish to quit school, and lingering remorse over the death of his homicidal crony, Raymond "Mouse" Alexander. Yet he remains willing to do "favors" for folks in need...

The year is 1964, and though Easy seems settled into honest work as a Los Angeles custodian, he's having other problems - notably, his adopted son's wish to quit school, and lingering remorse over the death (in "A Little Yellow Dog") of his homicidal crony, Raymond "Mouse" Alexander. Yet he remains willing to do "favors" for folks in need. So, when Alva Torres comes to him, worried that her son, Brawly Brown, will get into trouble running with black revolutionaries, Easy agrees to find the young man and "somehow...get him back home." His first day on the job, however, Rawlins stumbles across Alva's ex-husband - murdered - and he's soon dodging police, trying to connect a black activist's demise to a weapons cache, and exposing years of betrayal that have made Brawly an ideal pawn in disastrous plans.