Three detectives in the corrupt and brutal L.A. police force of the 1950s use differing methods to uncover a conspiracy behind the shotgun slaying of the patrons at an all-night diner.

Chili Palmer finds himself in an unlikely alliance with LAPD Detective Darryl Holmes, and becomes the target of Russian gangsters when he witnesses a mob hit while lunching with an old friend, but he continues to pursue his next film idea based on the life of Linda Moon, a singer who is struggling to leave her past behind.