Just out of prison for the criminally insane, Manny (Lou Diamond Phillips) returns to Reno where he takes a job as a clerk at the Hotel El Cortez. There, he finds trouble fast when he gets caught in the intersecting schemes of a crippled prospector, a rich gambler, a ruthless cop and a heroin dealer. Throw in the dealer's femme fatale girlfriend, Theda (Tracy Middendorf), and you've got a recipe for noir in this atmospheric indie thriller.