Detective Matt Dickson (Michael Madsen) is investigating a series of grisly murders committed in seedy motels across Los Angeles. He gets a break in the case when he realizes the killer (Gary Stretch) is consistently using the names of boxers for aliases. Meanwhile, reporter Catherine Briggs (Lisa Bonet) is also pursuing the serial killer, but for her own mysterious reasons. Matt and Catherine begin working together, but the investigation becomes complicated when they start having an affair.