In a story told mostly as a flashback, Rob recalls his days as "Pitter Patter Petrie", the middleweight champion of Camp Crowder, Missouri, during his Army days. He also recounts how his then fiancée Laura was deeply worried about Rob's defense of his title against a well regarded challenger, even going so far as to suggest that Rob "take a dive."

Police question Rob regarding a fracas in a bar room where a woman was injured. Rob finds himself in a jam when his accounting of his whereabouts during the fight doesn't hold water.