After getting out of jail, car thief Ernest Stick Stickley (Burt Reynolds) witnesses the murder of his friend Rainy (Jose Perez) during a drug deal. To avoid getting killed by the same thugs, who work for mobster Chucky (Charles Durning), Stick gets a job as a chauffeur for millionaire Barry Braham (George Segal) and lies low. As he gets used to his new routine, Stick woos Barry's financial consultant, Kyle McClaren (Candice Bergen), but must fight back when Chucky's men come after him.