A catholic priest, very socially and politically committed, attracts himself the lightnings of his bishop. This one is constrained to give him a new assignment while waiting for that the situation is packed a little. Father McMurtry will visit his new parish of night and he is cut down by an unknown. With his burial, Father Cavanaugh hears of confession Father Miles, that McMurtry was to replace, because he badly estimates to have done his work and thus to cause the death of his colleague. Cavanaugh understands that his counterpart thinks of knowing the identity of the assassin but this one, being held by the secrecy, refuses to say anything. The evening even, he is assassinated like another priest, unhappy witness. Cavanaugh, old police, decides to carry out his small survey, with the downstream of Ironside which hopes that priest will be able to reach people whom could with difficulty make him speak.

Ironside must testify in front of the Grand Jury in order to send behind the bars a godfather of the mob syndicate, specialized in the racket and the embezzlement… this last sees only one solution to be left there: to put a contract on the head of Ironside. He contacts his friends of Chicago so that they send their best killer to him.  It is thus a specialist, ever stopped in twenty years of "career", which unloads in San Francisco and starts his work as with his practice, by a warning. In spite of the police surveillance, he manages to pose a small bomb in the vehicle of the Chief, right intended to make jump the windshield. The Commissioner Randall manages to convince Ironside to put himself at the shelter and sends him, with this intention, in prison. The killer has resource and manages to be introduced into the prison but his plans are thwarted by a second man sent by Chicago to fill the contract in an expeditious way…

The mob syndicate assembled a clever system of racket in many large cities, of which San Francisco, based on a robbery of credit cards. The victims are led in a motel with the promise to be able to take good time with girls and, the next morning, they awake with the hangover and the pockets empty. In order not to have problems, no complaint is deposited, just a declaration of loss. Ironside works in connection with several services of police force in order to put a term at all these robberys and discovers that the victims "are collected" by a false taxi. The Chief tightens a trap with the driver but, unfortunately, lieutenant Reese is captured by the malfrats.

The mundane squad has evil to put a term at the intrigues of the owners of clandestine gambling dens because one as of their prevents the latter before each police raid. The principal suspect, captain Belding, was assassinated but the effectiveness of fashionable is still not with go, which finished persuading the daughter of the officer, Fran, of the innocence of his father. The young woman then takes risks while trailing in the cabarets without informing of them her superiors and she finishes by being approached by a professional player who claims to know the true mole. Fran warns the Chief then and tries, without success, to retain the player in the cabaret. This last, having discovered that she was a police officer, tries to flee in the car but strikes the van of Ironside, thus wounding this last. Decree, he proposes to be repurchased while being used as indic with the police but the Chief finds this proposal a little easy. Pretending to play the game of the man, he tries to discover to it fine word of the history, risking the total paralysis while refusing to go to the hospital to look after a fracture badly placed.

Ironside passes in front of the commission of the handing-over of sorrow in order to make release a former hold-up man of bank, exemplary prisoner during the seven years that he passed in prison. As opposed to what he hoped, the handing-over of sorrow is refused because a member of the jury voted against, whereas he had ensured Ironside that he was of his opinion. When the Chief will see this man, he appears extremely nervous to him and tended; ending even up acknowledging that he intended to vote "yes" but that his hand had written "no" in the place, without he being able to do anything there. Ironside then begins an investigation in the world of the esotericism and discovers that a strange woman, Mrs Jabez, could be at the origin of the reversal operated by ex-sworn. When this last and the prisoner whom he was to make release dies, Marc, Ed and Fran think that the Chief is in danger and that he will be the next victim of this woman to the supernatural capacities.

Jack, a former colleague of Ironside, is killed in ordered service. The suspect number 1 is a man baptized by the press the attacker of Golden Gate which violently attacks couples to conceal jewels and valuable articles to them. This last would have been wounded during the exchange of shots with the police officer and the Chief thus seeks him in priority near the hospitals, of the dispensaries or pharmacies. The sergeant Garcia, last partner of Jack, finds the reference mark of the man thanks to the testimony of a pharmacist. The police intervenes and captures him, not without him to inflict a new wound, and he is taken along to the hospital where the doctors manage to save him. In addition to the weapon of the crime, Ironside obtains full confessions for the murder of his friend but the detachment of the criminal puts the chip at the ear of the Chief. He pushes more his investigation and discovers that the widow of the police officer could be at the origin of the murder of her husband. A new aggression in Golden Gate confirms the assumption of the Chief: the two cases do not have strictly anything to see.

Kwangsoo, a young Korean, arrives to San Francisco and will see her father, the Chief Ironside, to ask for the authorization to him of marry. Her fiancé, a young student, paid his voyage in America in order to marry her. What the young woman is unaware of, it is that he was involved in debt near an usurer in order to be able to have the money necessary and that he is not able to refund it. Learning that Ironside will not provide any dowry for the marriage, the young man starts to panic and decides to ask of the assistance the mechanic in whom he works part-time. This last refuses to lend money to him, even advances some on wages, and, when a strong sum disappears from his office, he shows his employee at once. The young man finds himself then with the police and the henchmen of the usurer on the back, he thus decides to flee San Francisco.

Ironside goes to a stage performance with a friend, himself author with success for Broadway. The troop that they come to see is made a reputation thanks to their improvisations, according to the desires of the public. When the chief of the troop, Lennie Blake, announces to the public the presence of the police officer, people claim a parody of the work of this last. Lennie makes a caricature of Ironside then but, during the number, he is assassinated. The suspicions go at once on his colleagues who surrounded him at the time of his death. While inquiring into the victim, the Chief discovers a malicious and cruel character who had a gift to be made enemies. The list of the suspects is thus rather long, even the friend of Ironside appears there, and the fact that the weapon of the crime remains untraceable does not make advance the investigation.

Ironside learns in Fran the suicide from his cousin, Bobby, who threw top of Golden Gate. His jacket containing his papers and a letter of good-byes in the name of Fran was found on the spot. Young woman, which does not want to believe that her cousin could make such a thing, refuses to admit the obviousness as long as the body will not have been found. A telegram signed by Bobby gives again hope suddenly to her and, having been with two fingers to speak to him by telephone, Fran is convinced that he is in life but is obliged to hide for an unknown reason. Ironside, as for him, is persuaded that the young man died and that all the messages which his collaborator receives are the work of an avid person of revenge.

Ed and Marc benefit from beautiful an afternoon shone upon to change the ideas with the park. When Ed will seek a balloon left in the bushes, he discovers a corpse there and is made photograph by a young boy. He makes swear with the kid anything to say and will warn his colleagues of his discovery. But, when police officers and photographers arrive on the spot, the corpse disappeared. Ed does the one of the newspaper whose writer takes pleasure to turn in derision the work of the police, causing the anger of the Commissioner Randall and the poor sergeant. In same time, Ironside must deal with the removal of the husband of a very rich woman and, having a bad presentiment, he presents the photograph of this last at his sergeant who identifies the man of the park at once. But Ed can nothing prove and, roof of all, the kid who is his only witness takes his role very in heart and does not speak with anybody about what he saw, even not with the police.

One evening, Ed returns quietly at his home when he hears an alarm. He goes at once on the spot and discovers that a robbery is in hand in a jewellery. After having called reinforcement, he moves towards the shop at the time when the burglars leave and tries to stop them. In the exchange of shots which follow, Ed receives a bullet in the leg and collapses, trying to still resist both malfrats which continues to shoot him above. A witness of the scene intervenes and takes along Ed to the shelter before making him a garrot with the leg then eclipse discreetly on arrival of the police. While his sergeant is at the hospital, Ironside inquires in order to know the identity of his saver and discovers that it is about a soldier in escape. Initially simply shown to be deserter, he is suspected soon of murder and of adulterates of drug. The man contacts Ed so that he helps him to prove his innocence.

Ironside learns death from a young doctor in station with Gentle Oaks, an establishment of convalescence, whereas he had had a telephone conversation with this last during which he had taught to him that patients were assassinated on "order" of the families and that he had the evidence of it. The Chief being persuaded that somebody made conceal the doctor, he goes to Gentle Oaks under the identity of one professor to the retirement of which children - Ed and Fran- want to get rid as fast as possible. Ironside settles on the spot and begins his investigation by questioning the various boarders discreetly and by supervising the chief-nurse, principal suspect. The irascible character of the Chief irritates the latter quickly, pushing she to make several imprudences, but a boarder, called "bootlicker", recognized the man in the wheelchair.

Jerry Maxon, a malfrat established well in San Francisco, keep silent a police officer become awkward for his business. To the lawsuit, his lawyer manages to convince the jury which the police officer had attacked his customer and who this last did nothing but be defended, he is thus discharged. The only witness who could have made condemned Maxon disappeared, certainly because he was afraid of the reprisals. The fellow-member of the killed police officer, a former comrade of promotion of Ed, wants to find this witness in memory of his friend and, this, in spite of the councils of Ironside to keep away from the investigation. One evening, following the telephone call of a indic, he goes at an address to obtain information on the famous witness but it is Maxon which he meets on the spot. The malfrat having shoot two times in his direction, the police officer counteracts and kill him. But when his colleagues arrive, they note that the malfrat had not decladded his weapon. The police officer thus finds himself in a very delicate position, shown murder by desire of revenge, and Ironside decides to take the investigation in hands to leave it this bad step.

Bernie, a former comrade of Ed, attacked a man and escaped in front of the police. The victim not wanting anything to say, lieutenant Reese thinks at once of a payment of accounts and request with Ed to help him to find Bernie. It is occasion for sergeant of replonger in his past and, when he learns that his first love attended Bernie, he hopes to be able to join again bonds with the young woman in question. Ironside is not very at ease with respect to his subordinate, persuaded that Bernie benefitted from complicities of which he could form part, and decides to carry out the most discrete possible survey.

Ironside receives the visit of Saburo Tokahisa, the son of a Japanese soldier with whom he had bound of friendship during the war, and this last requires of him to come to Tokyo because his father is in danger of death, somebody seeking to make an attempt on his life. The Chief goes at once on the spot and, with his first visit with his friend, he has the surprise to note that he is also paraplegic. Ironside understands quickly that he did not accept this infirmity and was contained on himself, drawing aside his friends and even his children. He begins his investigation and discovers that somebody was paid to assassinate his friend but the Chief does not manage to find a reason valid with this contract and that disturbs him deeply.

Roy Lewis, a criminal imprisoned for robbery, is released from prison after having purged his sorrow. At once, Ironside the met under constant monitoring bus he knows that the man is also guilty murder of a police officer, but that the charge could not prove it at the time of his lawsuit. Lewis, who wants to quickly recover the money of his last burgling, wants to get rid of Ironside by making his assassinate. With this intention, he is useful of old shill of Dallas to infiltrate her in the group, to allure Ironside and make so that he is at the good place at the good time. But the young woman is moved by the way in which the Chief treats her and, of criminal, she transforms herself into target for her employer who hardly appreciates the reversal of his employee.

A burgling of bank takes place during an anti-pollution demonstration by a man alone and skilfully made up. Its technique is well-known because it was used by a missed actor, specialized in the make-up, six years earlier: the man had made seven burglings before being stopped by Robert Ironside. It is however the latter which, later, testified in his favour so that he left prison in parole. Burgling brings back the actor on the front of the scene but the Chief refuses to believe that he could make an error of judgment and, although all the evidence against his favorite, he fights nozzle and nails to prove his innocence.

Ironside has taken part in an emission of radio to promote the action of an old safe-breaker repented for fifteen years. This last opened a house of reception for the criminals leaving prison in order to help them to reintegrate themselves : Start Renew. But here, he misses money… When members of the local mob syndicate are made burglarize and that they refuse to carry felt sorry for, Ironside suspects initially a rival organization but, as his investigation progresses, he seems obvious to him that the creator of Start Renew makes a suspect much more credible. Fearing for the life of this last, the Chief decides to put him under surveillance.

Marc is proud to introduce his friend Sid at the Chief Ironside. This last, income recently of Vietnam, opened a station gasoline with his best friend, member of the same military company. The night of the inauguration of the station, a man throws a grenade with fragmentation in the room where is the two men: Sid is killed on the blow. Leaning initially for a racist attack, Ironside turns quickly to another assumption development by the aggression of another member of the company of Sid. The lieutenant who ordered the latter in Vietnam had also been to him victim of one attack to the grenade and, vis-a-vis the investigation which had followed, the members of the company had tightened the elbows so that the person in charge is not discovered.

A man is killed by a roadhog and the police discovers on his body a hard-bound card carrying number 4. Dennis Randall will find his friend Robert Ironside to entrust this investigation to him because he received himself by the post office a similar card carrying number 6. The Chief quickly discovers that other people were killed and that they all were Members of the Commission of the handing-over of sorrows, except the first which was a drug trafficker. The track of a revenge is thus privileged and Ironside decides to take the place of number 5, an lawyer-artist of the name of Carlton Duffy who resembles to him sufficiently to give the exchange.

The Barker husbands call their friend Robert Ironside with the assistance in middle of the night, their small daughter, Pip, being very disturbed following the death of the owner of their building. When the Chief arrives, he learns with astonishment and concern that Pip is prostrate in her room and refuses to leave there, going even until not speaking to her parents more. The small girl, very attached to him, finishes by acknowledging him that she responsible for died for the owner of the building because she threw a spell to him. Ironside discovers that Pip, assisted by three friends and Billy, a delayed young man, played witch in the cellar. The suspicions of the police go quickly on Billy but Ironside suspects another person and wants above all to prove in Pip which she is of nothing responsible of died for a man.

The son of judge Van Buren, promised with a beautiful future in the legal medium, is implied in spite of him in a case of murder. A gangster called Stilwell, whom his father must judge, paid a young actress to dope the young man and to take him along in his apartment. There, the accomplice of Stilwell took photographs before killing the young woman and, thanks to a photomontage, makes believe that the son Van Buren is the assassin. The judge initially tries to hide the attempt at blackmail of which he is the victim but the Chief understands quickly what occurs. His investigation blames Stark, the accomplice of Stilwell, but Ironside wants more: he scaffold a plan daring - but very risky- to have the head of the gangster.

Anton, a musician who directs an universally famous quartet, is assassinated in a school of music. The few students present as well as the other members of the quartet are the only suspects and Ironside discovers quickly that Anton was hardly appreciated, even hated. The reasons to kill him thus did not miss and the Chief is quickly submerged by the potential culprits, he must make light in multiple stories before the assassin does not panic and makes a new murder.

A man escapes from a penitentiary and, in his escape, takes refuge in the office of Ironside where Fran only works. Whereas she accomodates a friend of the Chief, the man rush on her and takes her as an hostage to be able to flee but, with the assistance of his visitor, Fran put him out of state to harm. The friend of the Chief, who did not say his name but simply that he had need for assistance, leaves while making him promise not to speak about his arrival. The following day, Ironside, which works on a large business of drug, receives a call of the woman of his friend, very anxious: this last disappeared. When Fran learns that the head seeks his rescuer, she acknowledges all to him and Ironside understands that his friend has of serious trouble, can be in connection with his investigation.