Zero Effect

Daryl Zero is introduced as the world's greatest detective who refuses direct client contact, handling cases through his assistant Steve Arlo. He also narrates portions of his proposed autobiography, offering a running commentary on the events.

Gregory Stark, a Portland-area millionaire, has lost the key to a safe deposit box and is being blackmailed into making ongoing payments. Zero and Arlo are hired to uncover the blackmailer's identity and put an end to the payments.

Zero quickly deduces that the person forcing Stark to pay is Gloria Sullivan, an EMT with a mysterious past. The case deepens as Gloria's involvement points to motives beyond simple extortion.

During the investigation, Zero and Gloria sleep together, breaking his professional distance. He opens up about his troubled past, telling her that his mother was killed by his abusive father, who later committed suicide.

Stark tries to force Arlo to disclose the blackmailer's identity so that he can have the person killed. Arlo resists, understanding that exposing the truth could escalate violence and complicate the case.

Zero's absurd demands on Arlo's time increasingly interfere with his relationship with his girlfriend Jess. He worries about the toll the case is taking on both his professional duties and his private life.

Zero uncovers a grim truth: Stark had raped Gloria's mother after she broke up with him. She later used the threat of exposing him as a rapist to force his hand, and Stark had her killed.

Gloria is revealed to be Stark's daughter, born from this violent history and raised by the hitman who killed her mother. She grows up knowing that Stark was responsible for her mother's murder.

Gloria leverages her knowledge of Stark's guilt to blackmail him for money, using the payoff to cover medical treatment for her terminally ill adoptive father. Her plan hinges on Stark's vulnerability and need to keep the secret buried.

At the meeting to deliver the final blackmail payment, Stark collapses from a heart attack. Gloria is compelled to save his life, a twist that reshapes loyalties among the principal players.

With Stark's life spared, Gloria flees the country with Zero's assistance. The escape marks a turning point as their collaboration shifts toward an uncertain future.

Throughout the film, Zero provides narration as he reads lines from his proposed autobiography. The concluding narration frames the surreal, detached lens through which he views the entire case.