Eddie Hawkins, a.k.a. The Hudson Hawk, is called the world's greatest cat burglar, but he's called it quits. Some others, though, aren't ready for the Hawk to retire. They blackmail him into stealing priceless works by Leonardo da Vinci from a heavily guarded auction house and from the Vatican itself! The job has Hawk dodging bullets and guard dogs, thwarting sophisticated security systems, dangling from rooftops and crawling through booby-trapped ventilation shafts. And if Hawk makes it out alive? Well maybe he can turn the tables on his blackmailers. Because they aren't just art collectors, they have a plot to rule the world! But if Hawk can break into their lair, he just might be able to steal the one object that can stop them. The Hudson Hawk? Saving the world? It's a dirty job, but hey, somebody's got to do it!