After the duo fail to capture a wanted felon, Hutch bets that he can successfully elude Starsky for 48 hours. The game becomes deadly serious when Starsky discovers that Hutch has unknowingly eaten soup contaminated with botulism.
The two detectuves devise a playful game of hide-and-seek, but when Hutch is exposed to deadly botulism without knowing it, Starsky must find his partner before it's too late.