Young Irwin Maurice Fletcher, a.k.a. Fletch, the eager and inventive new reporter for the News-Tribune, is having a hard time finding his place at the newspaper. After a few "mishaps" writing questionable headlines and creatively worded obituaries, Managing Editor Frank Jaffe appoints Fletch to the society pages, where he's assigned to cover a generous yet surprising donation to an art museum from a high-powered defense attorney.

But before he can secure an interview, the attorney is shot dead in the newspaper's parking lot, no witnesses in sight. To Fletch's chagrin, the story is reassigned to the boorish lead investigative reporter Biff Wilson, and he's placed on a seemingly unrelated story, some society pages fluff piece about an all-women-trainers health club that's rumored to offer a lot of "extras."

Undeterred by Biff's threatening nature and determined to dig up the dirt on both stories, Fletch collects a cast of engaging characters and strings together the scandalous clues that lead to an eventful and unexpected conclusion.