The Drifter

After finishing a sales trip, Julia drives back to Los Angeles. She spots a hitchhiker who locks eyes with her and she drives on, leaving him behind. The moment plants the seed of a dangerous, irresistible tension that will unfold later.

At Hillside Diner Julia notices a mysterious man eating alone, hinting at danger. The drifter Trey enters, and their eyes meet again. He asks for a ride outside, but she declines, deepening the tension between them.

A rainy night finds Julia with a flat tire that Trey fixes. An uneasy curiosity leads her to offer him a ride, and they end up at a motel where, amid the rain, they share a passionate and impulsive night.

The next morning Trey notices Julia's gold pocket watch, which she explains was a gift from her grandfather and represents protection. They drive back toward Los Angeles, and Trey drops Julia off at Oki Dog in West Hollywood. Julia makes it clear she intended only a one-night stand and gives Trey the pocket watch as a souvenir.

Back at her apartment, Julia's boyfriend Arthur arrives with their cat. They have sex, but an uneasy undercurrent remains as a phone rings and is ignored. The ordinary life of the couple contrasts with Julia's recent affair.

Julia's good friend Matty drops by and they go out to lunch. Matty reveals she is pregnant by her boyfriend and they are planning a wedding, a piece of news that adds emotional weight to Julia's situation.

That night Trey calls again, seeking to see Julia, but she declines and tells him to stop contacting her. He calmly replies that he can wait, revealing a stubborn fixation that complicates her attempt to move on.

The next day Julia goes to Oki Dog again to meet Trey and tell him to leave her alone. A mysterious man in a car watches from the street, hinting at a surveillance network and increasing the sense of danger around Julia.

Julia confesses the fling to Matty, who asks what Trey is like. Julia concedes that he could be dangerous, intensifying the fear and guilt surrounding her relationships and choices.

Trey confronts Julia in her office in front of her coworkers, asking to be with her. The demand unnerves her, and he leaves, leaving a wake of fear and the sense that her life is spiraling out of control.

Arthur grows suspicious as Julia's behavior becomes erratic, and a private investigator reveals to him that the diner man has been tailing Julia. The investigator's cryptic remarks about killing women amplify the looming sense of danger.

Matty is found dead in her bed, and Julia seeks help from Morrison. The pursuit escalates into a brutal confrontation at Julia's home: the detective binds Julia, kills Arthur, and fights Trey. Trey subdues the detective, Morrison arrives and kills the detective, and the pocket watch saves Trey from a bullet. With new hope, Julia and Trey share a tender embrace on a beach, beginning a new life together.