Jesse Stone, still reeling from the murder of his fiancee by crazed assassin Mr. Peepers, must keep his emotions in check long enough to get through the wedding day of his loyal protege, Suitcase Simpson. The morning of the wedding, Jesse learns that a gala 75th birthday party is to be held for folk singer Terry Jester. Jester, once the equal of Bob Dylan, has spent the last forty years in seclusion after the mysterious disappearance of the master recording tape of his magnum opus, The Hangman's Sonnet.