Cisco Pike

Cisco Pike is arrested for drug dealing. He tries to pawn his guitar at a local shop, but the owner declines to buy it. He returns home to find that his latest demos have been rejected, heightening his sense of failure.

Back home, Cisco records more demos and tells his girlfriend Sue about his failure. The mood is tense as he contemplates his uncertain future. He resolves to push forward regardless of setbacks.

Detective Leo Holland, who has stolen a large quantity of marijuana from a Mexican gang, visits Cisco and claims he is trying to quit the drug trade. Cisco insists he’s attempting to go straight, despite the pressure from the underworld. The encounter foreshadows a dangerous leverage over Cisco.

Holland arrests Cisco and takes him to a garage, where he shows him the stolen marijuana. Cisco realizes the depth of Holland’s power and starts to fear that resistance is futile. The scene sets up the coercive deal to come.

Cisco visits his lawyer, who confirms the garage belongs to Betty Hall, apparently connected to Holland. The lawyer advises Cisco to steer clear of Holland, but shows renewed interest when Cisco mentions the marijuana’s high quality. The dynamic hints at further trouble.

Holland confronts Cisco with a demand for US$10,000 and gives him fifty-nine hours to sell the marijuana. He promises Cisco can keep any excess cash and will alter the arrest paperwork if the case goes to trial. The squeeze tightens around Cisco’s options.

Cisco fragments the bricks and begins contacting former customers to move the product. A bulk buyer spots him through binoculars, creating a tense moment as a solitary figure monitors the activity. Cisco presses on, trying to keep one step ahead of the danger.

After returning the bricks, Cisco confronts Holland and refuses to work with him any further. He returns home to focus on his music demos, attempting to reclaim some control over his life. The break in coercion marks a dangerous new phase.

Holland visits Cisco’s home uninvited, beats him, and threatens to shoot him unless he continues selling. The assault underscores the peril Cisco faces and how deeply Holland’s grip runs. Cisco’s resolve begins to fracture under the intimidation.

Cisco goes to Brother Buffalo to push a bulk sale, offering twenty-five kilograms at a low price. Buffalo says he will try to work out a deal with his associates, signaling a chain of deals and a dangerous network in play. The move shows Cisco’s desperation to move product quickly.

Cisco visits Rex at a recording studio; Rex rejects Cisco’s previous demos and asks about marijuana. Cisco declines the manager’s deal, but later meets Merna and leaves with her, then picks up Lynn on the way to her father’s mansion. The music world remains indifferent, while the drug world pulls him along.

Jesse Dupre overdoses at a party hosted by Merna, collapsing the tenuous vibe of Cisco’s circle. The event intensifies the undercurrent of danger surrounding Cisco, as relationships fray and the drug trades tighten their grip. The death marks a turning point in the tension.

Holland enters Cisco’s house uninvited, while Sue escapes. Cisco drives Jesse’s corpse to Venice, and Sue calls 9-1-1 to report the body. Police and emergency responders arrive as Holland starts shooting at them, driven by fear of arrest and pursuit.

Responders confront the tense scene as Holland fires toward them and is fatally shot by authorities. Sue returns home, but Cisco, faced with the collapsing world around him, drives away into the night. The film closes on a note of unresolved desperation.