When a series of violent robberies dubbed the "Alphabet Crimes" terrorizes the wealthy residents of Beverly Hills, the local police find themselves outmatched and in desperate need of help. The situation becomes personal when the city's police captain is shot and critically wounded during one of these heists. Enter wisecracking Detroit cop Axel Foley, who returns to Beverly Hills under the guise of taking vacation time but secretly aims to bring the culprits to justice and support his friend, the injured captain.

Foley reunites with his Beverly Hills detective counterparts, the reserved and by-the-book Billy Rosewood and the gullible and eager Sergeant John Taggart. The trio's vastly different investigative approaches frequently clash, but ultimately their friendship and determination forge a potent team. As they begin to uncover the layers of the Alphabet Crimes, they find connections to a high-end gun club and a criminal mastermind with a very personal vendetta. Foley's brash methods and street smarts breathe new life into the investigation, pushing boundaries and pulling his colleagues into unpredictable, often humorous, situations as they close in on the dangerous and well-orchestrated crime ring.