Corky, an ex-convict portrayed by Gina Gershon, has just completed a five-year prison sentence and arrives at an apartment building for her new job as a painter and plumber. As she navigates the building, she meets her charming neighbors, Jennifer Tilly as Violet and Joe Pantoliano as Caesar. After Caesar departs, Violet flirts with Corky, ingeniously provoking her to help retrieve an earring that has fallen into her sink. Upon returning the earring, Violet confesses it was a deliberate ploy to connect with Corky, leading to a steamy encounter between the two.
The next morning, Violet reveals that her husband, Caesar, is a money launderer for the Mafia and that they've been together for five years. An unexpected twist occurs when Violet overhears Caesar and his mafia associates brutally torturing Shelly, a man who has been skimming money from their operations. Disturbed by this revelation, Violet turns to Corky for comfort, expressing her desire to forge a new life away from Caesar. Together, they devise a bold plan to steal nearly $2 million from Caesar, an idea that entices Corky yet raises suspicions about Violet's true intentions.
The situation escalates dramatically as Shelly ends up murdered by Johnnie, Gino Marzzone's son, resulting in Caesar returning home with a bag of blood-stained money. Fueled by anger towards Johnnie, Caesar begins the meticulous task of laundering the bloody cash. Violet explains the plan—when Caesar counts the money, she'll offer him a drink to help him unwind, allowing Corky to sneak in during his shower and take the cash.
What was supposed to be a foolproof scheme spirals into chaos when Caesar discovers the money is missing and considers running away, convinced he’ll be blamed for the theft. In a panic, he tightly holds Violet by threatening her with a gun, escalating tensions as Corky waits anxiously next door. The plot thickens when Caesar's fear leads him to confront Johnnie, sparking a deadly chain reaction that leaves multiple bodies in their wake.
Things take a sinister turn as Caesar ties up both Corky and Violet, intent on retrieving the stolen money while threatening their lives. The intensity peaks when Violet tricks Caesar into believing he's receiving a call from Gino, convincing him to stall the dangerous situation. As greed and paranoia overshadow reason, Corky finds herself in a life-or-death struggle. Just as Caesar is about to end Corky’s life, Violet steps in with a gun, asserting her power with the crushing words, > "Caesar, you don’t know shit," as she pulls the trigger.
In the aftermath, Violet, now free from the Mafia’s grip, is offered a new start from Mickey, a Mafia associate, but she chooses a different path—one that leads her towards a fresh beginning as she drives off hand-in-hand with Corky, leaving their past behind.
