Sam and Max, the Freelance Police, are comic book characters created by Steve Purcell. They act as private detectives and vigilantes.

The story follows them on a case that takes them from their office in New York City across the United States. It begins with a telephone call from an unseen Commissioner, who sends them to a nearby carnival.

There, they learn that Bruno, a frozen bigfoot and the carnival’s star attraction, has fled with Trixie the Giraffe-Necked Girl. As they investigate, they discover that Bruno and Trixie are in love and that Trixie freed him.

Their search leads them to tourist traps around the country, including The World’s Largest Ball of Twine, a vortex controlled by giant subterranean magnets, and bungee jumping facilities at Mount Rushmore.