The editorialist of The World, newspaper of the "capital of yanquilandia", needs to look for evidence to free himself from an accusation of slander, for an editorial in which it was stated that Teodoro Rooselvelt, artificer of the separation of Panama, could not run for reelection as president of the USA because he had breached an international treaty. Therefore, several detectives are sent to Colombia to locate evidence of this treaty. One of the sleuths is Patterson, an ambiguous man in love with Berta, the daughter of a modest employee of the Colombian consulate in the city of skyscrapers.