In The Big Tie, the story unfolds with detectives Joe Friday and Frank Smith responding to a burglary at a necktie factory in Los Angeles. The owner, George Prosper, reports that a significant number of hand-painted ties have been stolen, and he has a suspect in mind—Morgan Gilroy, a young man he recently fired for being unreliable. Prosper's dismissal of Gilroy was not without consequence; the young man had threatened him, claiming he would regret the decision. This threat raises alarms for the detectives as they begin their investigation.