N’Gana Frimbo is a conjurer and a psychic in Harlem in the 1930s. Frimbo is of African descent, and many people come to seek advice from him. Characters have lined up in the waiting room to get their services. The last person to get into Frimbo’s room is Jinx Jenkins. However, he finds him dead. Jenkins informs Bubber Brown. The investigation of Frimbo’s death starts with police detectives Perry Dart and Doctor John Archer leading it. The investigators begin the process of interrogating the suspects to determine the killer. As well, the investigators are examining what kind of a person Frimbo is.
Dart and Archer are fascinated by Frimbo’s mystery once they start interrogating the suspects. The investigators want to know what brought the suspects to Frimbo’s place. The more Dart and Archer question the suspects, the more the mystery of Frimbo intensifies. Ultimately, it is discovered that Frimbo is not dead. Readers get insight into the complexity of the story’s mystery when Frimbo reappears alive. He observes the body of his servant being burned in the furnace.
Frimbo is having a secret affair with Martha Crouch. Martha is married to Samuel Crouch. Samuel shoots and kills Frimbo for having an affair with his wife. As a result, Martha also kills her husband. The complexity of the story is displayed through Frimbo’s mysterious ways. Frimbo lived his life concealing his true nature and personality. Despite being respected by community members, he is having an extramarital affair with Martha.
