Lonely comic book enthusiast Clarence Worley meets Alabama Whitman, a call girl, during a triple feature at a Detroit movie theater on his birthday. Sparks fly immediately, and by the next day, they are married. Clarence learns of Alabama's pimp, Drexl Spivey, and decides that his wife shouldn't have any ties to her old life. In a turn of events fueled by a mix of chivalry and rage, Clarence confronts Drexl and ends up with a suitcase he believes is filled with Alabama's clothes. He discovers that the suitcase is actually filled with uncut cocaine stolen from the Mafia and sees this as an opportunity for him and Alabama to start a new life in California.

The couple hits the road to Los Angeles with the intention of selling the drugs and pursuing their dreams. Along the way, they confide in Clarence's father, Clifford, a former cop, to glean insight on their pursuers. Unbeknownst to them, the Mafia is already on their trail, and they dispatch enforcers to reclaim their lost property. Meanwhile, Clarence makes plans to offload the cocaine through the help of an aspiring actor friend in Hollywood. As the young lovers dive deeper into the criminal underworld, they find themselves caught between the dangerous mobsters hunting them down and the potential wealth of a big score that could secure their future—but at great risk.