Nick Pulovski (Clint Eastwood) is a cop, who is presently assigned to the auto theft division and who for the most part of his career has not done anything worthwhile. But when he discovers that a man named Strom (Raul Julia) is the brains behind a major car theft and chop shop ring, he sees this as his opportunity to do something. After his partner Powell (Hal Williams) is killed, the case is then transfered to homicide, so he is taken off the case. And he is assigned a new partner, David Ackerman (Charlie Sheen). a cop who has just recently been promoted to detective. But Pulovski feeling as if Strom is his, and decides to continue pursuing him, but Ackerman who tries to play by the rules is not sure what to do, and he is also a little afraid because of a childhood incident.