Eddie Devane is a young sailor with a knack for inventory-related scams, which he has carried out along with his partner-in-crime, Howard. Throughout his service, Eddie has amassed a significant amount of money from these illegal activities. Just a day before his discharge from the Navy, he is assigned to escort a prisoner from Camp Lejeune, under the supervision of the stern and authoritative Chief Petty Officer Rock Reilly. Eddie, clearly displeased with this assignment, faces an awkward and tense situation from the start.
When Howard sees Eddie being escorted, he mistakenly believes his friend has been caught and arrested for his scams. In an attempt to destroy evidence, Howard finds the money Eddie had hidden at his desk, unaware that Eddie was hiding it. This creates an underlying tension that will influence much of the story’s progression.
As the journey begins, the personalities of Eddie and Rock clash repeatedly, leading to numerous conflicts during their trip. Upon arriving at their destination, they discover the mysterious prisoner they are supposed to escort is a striking young woman, Toni Johnson. Their task becomes increasingly complicated when she attempts to escape, disguised as a waitress at a diner, only to be caught. Her resourcefulness shows when she fakes the onset of her period, secretly placing tampons in the van's gas tank, which causes the vehicle to stall on the road.
During their walk, the trio stumbles upon an abandoned mine and accidentally falls into a shaft. Their attempts to escape involve standing on each other's shoulders, a desperate effort to get out. Toni manages to free herself first, abandoning Eddie and Rock to run away, but later, she experiences a change of heart and returns to help them.
They spend the night in a motel while their van is repaired. Over a meal in a diner, they share personal stories: it’s revealed that Rock is divorced and estranged from his son, while Toni had initially gone AWOL to visit her troubled, drug-addicted brother who was in hospital. Her resistance when authorities tried to arrest her, combined with her brother's death while she was incarcerated, adds depth to her character and helps the others understand her actions better.
Later that night, Eddie discovers Howard has stolen all the money along with the new car Eddie was planning to buy. When Eddie confronts Howard, Howard challenges him with a riddle: "How do you talk to the fish?" Eddie cannot answer, which leaves Howard feeling justified in his betrayal. Meanwhile, Toni secretly listens to their conversation, learning that Howard embezzled around $150,000 from the Navy. Distressed and overwhelmed, Eddie gets drunk, and Toni takes advantage of the situation by seducing him, leading to an intimate night together.
The following morning, Eddie wakes up to find Toni has run away, stealing the car of the man who had come to pick her up. He chases after her, leading to a series of chaotic events, including their van climbing and falling from an artificial volcano at an amusement park — an occurrence they escape unhurt. They finally catch up with Toni and discover she’s heading to her brother’s funeral, aiming to be there in person. Seeing her resolve, Eddie and Rock are frustrated but also start to understand her more deeply. A heated fistfight ensues, but they later reconcile over drinks, with Toni apologizing and explaining that she heard Howard’s riddle, uncovering her accidental listening and realizing her true intentions.
This shared understanding cements their bond, and they decide to bring Toni back to her destination. When she is about to be taken to prison to serve her sentence, Eddie and Rock hatch a plan: they sabotage the transport van just as Toni's escort arrives. Disguising himself as a tow truck driver, Eddie steals the van with Toni inside, successfully outsmarting the guards.
The story concludes with an epilogue set a year later, revealing that Eddie and Toni are living a carefree life "somewhere south of the border," while Rock, now retired from the Navy, has begun a new relationship with a waitress he met earlier at the diner. Their journeys highlight themes of friendship, redemption, and love, showing how each character has evolved from their initial struggles and misunderstandings.
