Comic book store clerk and passionate film lover, Clarence Worley, celebrates his birthday by catching a Sonny Chiba triple feature at a Detroit cinema. It's there that he encounters the captivating Alabama Whitman, played by Patricia Arquette. Their night leads to intimacy, but Alabama confides in him with tears in her eyes, revealing she is a call girl sent by Clarence's boss as a present. Despite the unconventional beginning, both Clarence and Alabama find themselves infatuated with each other, resulting in a whirlwind wedding the very next day.
However, their bliss is soon disrupted by Alabama's volatile pimp, Drexl Spivey, portrayed by Gary Oldman. Clarence feels uneasy around him, and in a surreal twist, an apparition of his idol, Elvis Presley (Val Kilmer), advises him that killing Drexl would benefit the world. Summoning courage, Clarence confronts the menacing Drexl, demanding he leave Alabama alone. After a violent altercation where Drexl overpowers Clarence and steals his wallet, Clarence retaliates by pulling out a gun, shooting both Drexl and one of his henchmen. When he informs Alabama of the incident, she finds his actions "so romantic," despite the chaos that ensues.
When the couple opens a bag they mistakenly believe belongs to Alabama, they discover it's packed with stolen cocaine. Realizing the gravity of their situation, Clarence and Alabama make the snap decision to head to California. Their first stop is to visit Clarence's father, Clifford Worley (Dennis Hopper), who is a former police officer now working as a security guard. Clarence seeks his father's reassurance about the police not suspecting him of Drexl's murder. Clifford candidly notes that the authorities surmise it to be linked to drug activity.
Upon arriving in Los Angeles, the eager couple intends to connect with Clarence’s old friend Dick Ritchie (Michael Rapaport), an aspiring actor, but trouble follows them. Meanwhile, Clifford is ambushed at his home by the ruthless gangster Vincenzo Coccotti (Christopher Walken) and his thugs, intent on retrieving the stolen drugs. Despite Clifford's staunch refusal to disclose his son's whereabouts, he ultimately pays the ultimate price when he insults Coccotti, leading to his fatal shooting.
Clarence devises a plan to leverage Dick's connections with actor Elliot (Bronson Pinchot) to sell the drugs to the well-known film producer, Lee Donowitz (Saul Rubinek). However, chaos erupts when Elliot finds himself in trouble with the law for drug possession. To secure a lighter sentence, he tips off the police about Clarence's deal.
Alabama, left alone in their hotel room, faces a menacing henchman, Virgil (James Gandolfini), who brutally assaults her. In a remarkable turn of events, she manages to overpower and kill him, showing incredible resilience. The duo begins to dream about a future in Cancún, made possible by the drug money.
Detectives Nicholson (Tom Sizemore) and Dimes (Chris Penn), sensing a major drug deal is imminent, coerce Elliot into wearing a wire during the transaction. But the situation spirals out of control when Coccotti’s men, tipped off by Dick’s roommate Floyd (Brad Pitt), converge on the scene.
At the meeting, Clarence impresses Lee with his film knowledge, but all hell breaks loose when the police and gangsters launch a surprise attack simultaneously. In the ensuing chaos, a brutal gunfight erupts after Lee discovers Elliot’s betrayal. Amidst the chaos, Clarence is tragically shot in the eye as he steps out of the bathroom, leaving Alabama heartbroken at the thought of losing him.
As violence escalates, Alabama takes action and kills Dimes, believing Clarence to be dead, while the hotel becomes a battleground with casualties on both sides. Ultimately, Clarence survives but is partially blinded; he and Alabama manage to escape just as the police swarm the hotel.
The film closes with a scene of the couple in Cancún, showcasing their joy as a family, complete with a son they have named Elvis, symbolizing their wild, unconventional love story amidst the chaos they faced together.
