Scudder is a detective with the Sheriff's Department who is forced to shoot a violent suspect during a narcotics raid. The ensuing psychological aftermath of this shooting worsens his drinking problem and this alcoholism causes him to lose his job, as well as his marriage.
A naive young woman arrives in Hollywood to become a star, but after she gets drugged and raped during a shoot, she hardens quickly and catches the eye of a popular womanizing comedian who introduces her to his shady powerful agent.
Molly Dodd, a divorced woman in her mid-thirties living in New York, navigates the ups and downs of a rapidly changing career, the challenges of apartment life, and the complexities of love and its consequences.