Jazz musicians -- and heroin addicts -- Spoon (Tupac Shakur) and Stretch (Tim Roth) decide to get clean after their friend and bandmate Cookie (Thandie Newton) overdoses when she tries heroin for the first time. As they attempt to enter a detoxification program, however, they encounter a series of bureaucratic roadblocks. Worse, they are being hunted by both the police and drug dealers. Struggling with withdrawal, Spoon and Stretch reflect on the moments that led up to their predicament.