In Atlantic City, during a hurricane, the Secretary of Defense attends a heavyweight boxing title match. Rick Santoro, a local corrupt cop, watches with his old friend Kevin Dunne, who is now part of the navy guard on the politician. The Defense Secretary is assassinated during the fight while Dunne is distracted by a mysterious redhead. Santoro wants to cover his friend and in the process begins to uncover a more complex conspiracy. He listens to the testimony of various witnesses, including the boxer who throws the fight, and a blonde woman seen talking to the Secretary. He is led to question his own involvement in corruption and to discover more serious abuses of power.