An amnesiac, "Step" Allison (Tom Conway), accused of murder searches for the truth with the help of a cabbie, Patty Mitchell (Ann Rutherford). The story is essentially a remake of Two in the Dark (1936).
Billy Coy (Mickey Rooney) from Carrell in California wants to be a race car driver. He manages to get hired as a mechanic by Arthur "Red" Stanley (Thomas Mitchell) at his garage, after mentioning that he is the son of a famous driver called "Cannonball" Coy. Billy's father died in an accident at the Indianapolis 500 a few years ago.
Steve (Scott Caan) is a maladjusted Los Angeles teenager who renames himself “Hate” following a run-in with the local police. He lives with his father (James Caan), who is bilking a former employer in a workers compensation fraud scheme. One evening while taking a motorcycle ride, Hate witnesses what appears to be an attempted rape. He shoots the would-be attacker and takes off with Cindy, the young girl being assaulted (Missy Crider). It turns out that the rapist is an assistant district attorney (Elliott Gould), who survives the shooting and falsely reports that he was the victim of a robbery. Hate and Cindy leave Los Angeles, but their situation deteriorates when Hate fatally shoots a motorcycle officer whom he mistakenly believes has come to arrest him.
Paolo, jeune chauffeur de taxi honnête et sans famille, manque de se faire voler son taxi par deux jeunes vauriens qu'il mène à la mer. Il se rend compte que Lina, la jeune fille qui détournait son attention, est sans doute leur complice. Il la retrouve, veut la dénoncer ainsi que son père et leurs acolytes, mais progressivement tombe amoureux.
Mr Badii (Homayon Ershadi), a middle-aged man, drives through Tehran looking for someone to do a job for him, and he offers a large amount of money in return. During his drives with prospective candidates, Badii reveals that he plans to kill himself and has already dug the grave. He needs someone to throw earth on his body, after his death. He does not discuss why he wants to commit suicide.
Countess Diana Gaston (Patricia Roc) meets Vittorio Serra (Massimo Serato), the grandson of Carlo Serra, a prominent businessman. Convinced that she has met the man for her, she does all she can to keep him in her life. Unfortunately both of them are self-centered and this leads to repeated conflict. Vittorio's passion for auto racing leads to continued diagreements between him and the countess.