The Night Before

Winston regains consciousness in a dark alley, disoriented and wearing a pristine white tuxedo jacket. The night air is cold and he has no memory of how he ended up there. He checks his surroundings and realizes his wallet, keys, and sense of where he was headed are missing.

A flood of memories returns as he recalls being waylaid on the way to the prom. He was robbed and knocked off course, losing his wallet and his confidence in what happened. The scene hints at danger shadowing the last hours of the night.

In the memory, he finds a parking stub and Danny Boy offers to open the car and start it. Winston naively agrees, and once the car starts, Danny Boy drives off with it. Winston is left stranded and more vulnerable.

At Tara's house, she explains she has to attend prom because she lost a bet. Tara's police officer father sternly warns Winston to take care of his daughter and bring her home by midnight. The weight of responsibility hangs over the night.

Winston and Tara exit the freeway and end up lost in the East LA ghetto. A street thug tries to rob them by reaching through the window, but they shake him off after a few blocks. In the encounter, Winston's wallet is taken, increasing their vulnerability.

Back at a bar he had visited earlier, Winston is greeted by Rhonda the hooker, who warns him that trouble is brewing. She cryptically alludes to the strange night and Tara's disappearance. She is abruptly kicked out of the bar and tells him to meet Tito at dawn to settle everything.

Rhonda clarifies a brutal fact: Tara has been sold to Tito for 1500 dollars. Winston realizes the danger closes in as Tito and his network close in on Tara. The revelation heights the urgency to act and find her before it's too late.

Winston spends the rest of the night searching through East LA's underworld for Tara and trying to dodge Tito's growing wrath. He uses whatever leads he can find, hoping to intercept Tara before she is moved again. The city’s shadows press in as he travels from one grim venue to another.

A chance encounter with a lookout from a toy-store robbery offers Winston a potential lead. In exchange for a future favor, the lookout guides him toward a path that could lead to Tara. The arrangement helps him stay one step ahead of Tito's men.

In a brothel, Winston learns Tito has sold Tara to another pimp. He uses the 1500 from Tara's sale to fund the search, determined to keep Tara out of worse hands. The underworld dealings heighten the stakes.

Winston pays a driver to drive around asking for Tara, chasing every possible lead. He eventually reaches a hotel where Tara is being held by a third pimp who intends to ship her to Morocco. Time is tight as dawn approaches and danger looms.

Winston escapes with Tara from the pimp's clutches and retrieves his dad's car from Danny Boy, who had planned to sell it to Tito. Through a daring combination of grit and luck, he reunites with Tara and wins her trust. The night ends with Tara safe, Winston's car recovered, and the two of them starting a new chapter.