From an Albany hospital bed, John, a stay-at-home dad and casual private detective, tells the story of his attempt to find Richie Curtz, a white middle-aged man, missing now for over a month. Despite several probable leads, the official investigation has stalled. But John, the Nostalgia Detective, suspects the most promising lead has so far been overlooked: the connection between Richie's 'last seen wearing' grunge-era outfit, his upcoming fortieth birthday, and the recent death of a 1990s musical icon. The search takes John from Perth to the greater South West of Western Australia, as he traces the history of a man who leaves very few traces, all the while dealing with his own anxieties, paranoia, Gen-X cynicism, and some unwelcome intrusions from the past.