The Beat Generation

The film opens with Stan Hess, a beatnik, sitting in a coffee house with a woman who pleas for his affection. He dismisses her and then encounters his father, who announces his engagement to a younger woman, leading to Stan insulting his future stepmother. This establishes Stan's contemptuous attitude and the stereotyped beatnik scene setting.

It is revealed that Stan Hess, under the alias Arthur Garrett, is a serial rapist operating in Los Angeles. His method involves gaining entry to married women’s homes by pretending to settle a debt, then assaulting them while they are distracted, leaving behind a tin of aspirin as his signature.

After committing his first assault, Hess nearly gets hit by a car driven by police detective Culloran who then gives him a lift. During their conversation, Hess learns Culloran's address, foreshadowing his plan to attack Culloran’s wife.

The case of 'The Aspirin Kid' is assigned to Culloran and his partner Baron. They investigate leads and suspect a beatnik named Art Jester, although his alibi seems to check out. The police work to connect the dots about the rapist’s identity and methods.

Hess contacts Culloran from a phone booth, convinces him to meet at a nightclub by promising to surrender, but instead he goes to Culloran’s home. There, he assaults Culloran’s wife, Francee, claiming to be Garrett, further escalating the threat.

Francee discovers she is pregnant, which intensifies the emotional strain and discord within the Culloran family. She considers aborting the pregnancy, adding tension to the unfolding crisis.

Hess, under the alias Garrett, persuades Jester to attack another woman, Georgia Altera, to mislead the police about his whereabouts. Jester and Georgia develop a romantic connection amidst the chaos.

Driven by guilt and obsession, Culloran becomes fixated on catching Garrett. He secretly plans to stop him himself, risking his career and sanity, as the police begin closing in.

At a beach party, Culloran, now deranged by his obsession, launches an aggressive scuba-diving chase to find Garrett. The pursuit leads to a violent confrontation, where Culloran nearly kills Garrett before Baron intervenes.

After the intense chase, Culloran re-evaluates his actions and comes to his senses. He returns home to his wife Francee, who gives birth to their child, symbolically bringing resolution and hope amidst the chaos.