When veteran cop Captain Michael Brennan (Nick Nolte) shoots a Puerto Rican hood, the crime is made to practically disappear. Witnesses are threatened, and Brennan's brutal reputation ensures silence. Young district attorney Aloysius Al Francis Reilly (Timothy Hutton) takes on the case, and must risk everything to prosecute Brennan. The investigation hinges on the testimony of a Puerto Rican drug boss (Armand Assante), who is dating Reilly's ex-girlfriend.