At a bustling bar in Los Angeles, Jimmy Jayne (Devon Sawa), a former con man turned tattoo artist, finds himself sipping a drink when he encounters Star (Irina Antonenko), an alluring hooker. Despite initially declining her advances, he offers her a position as his secretary at "Gasoline Alley," the tattoo parlor he runs. To signify their budding connection, he gifts her a lighter engraved with his name.
However, the next day takes a dark turn when two LAPD detectives, Detective Vargas (Luke Wilson) and Detective Freeman (Bruce Willis), show up at his shop, probing him about a brutal murder case involving four women, one of whom is Star. With his fingerprints on the lighter found at the crime scene and being the last person seen with her, Jimmy becomes the prime suspect. Determined to prove his innocence, he delves deep into a treacherous world filled with drugs, violence, and corruption.
He claims to have left Star's side at 2:30 AM, where his peace of mind rests on an alibi confirmed by his girlfriend, Christine (Kat Foster). Yet, the detectives warn him that he's just one follicle of hair from being arrested. As a former conman, Jimmy's connections run deep; he recalls how he once saved Dennis Bourke (Kenny Wormald), a famous actor, from an assault while serving time together. Dennis hints that he knew one of the deceased women from a party with Persi Muleeney (Rick Salomon).
Not long after, Jimmy's life takes a dangerous turn when he's ambushed by an unknown assailant. This leads him to procure an unlicensed firearm for protection. He soon learns that Muleeney’s vehicle was reported stolen, cementing suspicions around him. His fundamental decency shines through as he seeks information discreetly from a cop, motivated by his affection for women around him.
With a strong resolve, Jimmy confronts Kaiser (Vernon Davis), a bouncer, to question Percy at his party. Despite suspecting Percy of involvement in the girls' murders, Jimmy finds that Percy has his own alibi. As the investigation unfolds, he learns from Eleanor, a singer, that the four girls were present at Percy's party and had been involved in an exchange of money with a silver-haired officer.
The plot thickens when Percy is soon murdered, echoing the violent manner in which the girls were killed, and Kaiser’s body is later discovered in Jimmy's trunk, raising the stakes even higher. Upholding a strong sense of justice, Jimmy informs Vargas and Freeman of these happenings. He lays blame on Officer Flosso, a figure he suspects may be corrupt, urging Vargas to review surveillance footage that could implicate Freeman.
In a series of tense moments, Jimmy reflects on past decisions by the water, striving to connect the dots that could lead him to the truth. After confronting Bourke and extracting crucial information, he discovers that Flosso and a web of drug traffickers were behind the gruesome killings of Star and her friends.
The climax hits when Eleanor calls Jimmy frantically, only to be snatched away and killed before his eyes. In a desperate confrontation, Jimmy battles with Flosso, thwarting his advances. With Vargas’s backup, Flosso is arrested, but Jimmy seizes the chaos to hunt down Flosso, who confesses to the trafficking of Eleanor and the murders.
In a gripping finale, Jimmy tracks down Flosso to the tunnel where Freeman is conducting his trafficking operation. A fierce showdown ensues, culminating in a shocking act as Jimmy avenges the countless betrayals and violence, taking out Freeman and ensuring closure for the lives lost in this cruel underbelly of crime.
