Former marine and ex-con Jimmy Boone is tending bar on Hollywood Boulevard, keeping his nose clean until he figures out his next move. But when he agrees to back up a buddy and look into a young man's mysterious death, he is soon neck-deep in trouble again.

As Boone learns more about this innocent who got involved with the wrong people, his investigation becomes a mission. Along the dangerous margins of Los Angeles, he encounters a homesick drug dealer, a stripper out for revenge, a dog-fighting ring, a beautiful ex-cop, a vicious crime boss and his crew, and a fortune in counterfeit bills.