Chaser

Eddie Devane, a young sailor who has pulled inventory scams with Howard, is ordered to escort a prisoner on the eve of his discharge. He clashes instantly with the strict Chief Petty Officer Rock Reilly as the trio begins their uneasy road trip. The mission feels like a test of character as Eddie worries this might be his last chance to prove himself.

During Eddie's escort, Howard sneaks into Eddie's desk and finds the money Eddie had hidden away, realizing Eddie wasn't as cautious as he claimed. Howard fears the evidence could ruin them and plots to destroy it. The discovery foreshadows tension that will ripple through the trip.

When they reach Camp Lejeune, the prisoner they're transporting is revealed to be a beautiful young woman, Toni Johnson. Eddie and Rock sense trouble ahead as they realize this assignment could go sideways. Toni's presence immediately changes the dynamic of the trip.

Toni tries to vanish by disguising herself as a diner waitress, triggering a tense chase. Eddie and Rock scramble to keep her contained while still keeping their cover. The escape attempt underscores Toni's desperation and the danger surrounding their trip.

Toni feigns a medical emergency and secretly stuffs tampons into the van's gas tank, causing the vehicle to stall on the road. The detour gives her a chance to slip away and adds a sense of peril to their already tense journey. Eddie and Rock struggle to keep control of the situation.

While walking to reach help, the trio slips and tumbles into an abandoned mine shaft. They improvise to climb out, stacking on each other's shoulders as they struggle for daylight. Toni manages to get out first, then deserts the others, triggering a change in the group’s bond.

Toni escapes the mine complex and ditches the pair, but she returns later with a change of heart. Her return signals a potential shift from opportunistic flight to reluctant loyalty. Eddie and Rock realize they now have a common goal beyond control of the situation.

The trio spends the night in a motel while the van is repaired. They connect at a diner, where Rock opens up about his divorce and estrangement from his son, and Toni explains why she went AWOL to see her brother in a hospital. The stories humanize them and begin to loosen the initial resentments.

Eddie receives a shocking blow when Howard reveals he has taken all the money and the new car Eddie planned to buy. Howard taunts him with a riddle, challenging Eddie to answer, deepening Eddie's sense of betrayal. The moment foreshadows the growing conflict over loyalty and deception.

Unbeknownst to Howard, Toni overhears the conversation on another receiver and realizes the full extent of the embezzlement. The revelation alters her perception of Eddie and the trio's fragile alliance. It sets the stage for a moral reckoning among the three.

Eddie sinks into drink as the weight of the betrayal consumes him. Toni, sensing vulnerability, seduces him and the two share an intimate moment, complicating Eddie's loyalties further. The charged night accelerates emotional tensions among the group.

The next morning, Toni logs a theft of the car and escapes again as Eddie and Rock give chase. Their van accidentally climbs an artificial volcano in an amusement park, then they tumble down but manage to escape unharmed. The chase forces them to confront what they want from this journey.

They learn Toni's brother's funeral is imminent, heightening her urgency to attend. A fistfight breaks out between Eddie and Rock, but a quick stop at a bar allows Toni to reveal that she heard Howard's riddle and correctly answered it by saying 'Drop them a line.' This moment mends the rift and clarifies loyalties.

Back on the road toward the base, Eddie and Rock sabotage the prison transport van to rescue Toni, with Eddie posing as a tow-truck driver to slip away unnoticed. They slip Toni out from under the guards' noses, a risky move that betrayal would have made impossible. The daring escape redefines Eddie's purpose in Toni's story.

One year later, Eddie and Toni are living it up somewhere south of the border, finally free of the routine he once feared. Rock, now retired, has begun a relationship with a waitress he met at the diner before. The ending settles their fates and hints at new beginnings.