The film stars Jesse Bradford as Johnny, a young man with dreams of becoming a stock car racer. After losing all his money and possessions in Las Vegas, he drifts into hustling, hoping to earn enough to travel to Charlotte, North Carolina to break into the racing world. There, he meets Eric, Jordan Brower, a gay hustler who gradually falls for Johnny. Jonathan Taylor Thomas appears as Steve, a bisexual hustler, and Daryl Hannah plays Veronica, a former showgirl and prostitute who has served as a surrogate mother figure for Eric since his own mother died. Besides Veronica, the one memento Eric has of his mother is a silver dollar she gave him for good luck.
Eric falls deeply in love with Johnny, and his feelings are not returned in kind. He learns that Johnny is a virgin and has a strong wish to be with a woman, so Eric asks Veronica to help him fulfill that wish. Under Eric’s guidance and with tips from Steve, Johnny slowly becomes a capable hustler. Steve then asks Johnny to join him in entertaining some gay clients for a potentially large payment, but Johnny refuses because it’s Eric’s birthday, and Steve needs the money from the clients who will only pay if both Steve and Johnny arrive. When Eric stays somber, Johnny asks him what’s wrong, and Eric finally confesses his love. Johnny reveals that he cares for Eric too and appreciates him as the best friend he’s ever had, then invites Eric to move with him to Charlotte. Delighted by Johnny’s honesty, Eric agrees.
J.T., a sociopathic drug dealer, Erik Alexander Gavica tosses Johnny a package that contains crack cocaine and cash. Steve finds it in their place and steals it, and when J.T. shows up looking for the stash, it’s missing. J.T. then holds Johnny hostage while Eric searches for Steve. Steve refuses to return the cash and drugs, so Eric heads to Veronica’s place to confront the danger. There he steals the gun belonging to Veronica’s police officer boyfriend and heads home. J.T. is playing William Tell with Johnny, shooting a can of tomato soup off his head. Eric arrives, assuming Johnny has been shot, and a gun battle ensues in which he kills J.T. Johnny and Eric flee, but Eric is shot and dies in Johnny’s arms, returning to him the lucky silver dollar. At the bus station, Johnny puts the silver dollar into a slot machine and hits a jackpot, buys a bus ticket, and leaves town.
A year later, Veronica is working as a cocktail waitress and sees Johnny on a television screen—he’s now a member of a pit crew, taking a further step toward realizing his dream. The story traces how a life shaped by ambition, love, and loyalty travels through risk and loss, ultimately pointing toward a fragile but hopeful glimpse of a future where Johnny still pursues the racing dream that started in Las Vegas.
