In Los Angeles, in 1953, six innocent people are gunned down at an all-night diner. Three policemen arrive to investigate: Ed Exley, goaded by his father's success on the force and burning to eclipse him; Bud White, witness to his mother's murder, a time bomb with a badge; and Jack Vincennes, a former addict and a shake-down artist who works celebrities. Worse yet, these three see themselves as rivals. Their rage mirrors that of the killers they seek, and all are players in a game without rules or survivors.