Marlowe is hired by a mobster to protect his actress girlfriend, who is inadvertently kidnapped.

Marlowe's best friend, lawyer Spanish Delaguerra (Leon Elkaim), is running for District Attorney. When Spanish is killed, and the body of the current DA is later discovered at Spanish's hideaway cabin, Marlowe finds himself embroiled with corrupt politicians, cops on the take and with belle (Helen Shaver), the beautiful grieving widow.

Token Ware (Robin Givens), is a pretty but naive cigarette girl with dreams of Hollywood stardom. Trimmer Waltz (Al Waxman) offers to help her meet all the right people, but what he really has in mind is to do a favor for Roger Eaton, a charming, over-the-hill movie idol with an eye for young girls. While investigating the gruesome murder of another young Hollywood hopeful, Marlowe uncovers Trimmer's vice ring and the plans he has for Token.

Mobster and promoter Benny Cyrano has a sweet deal with the new boxing commissioner, Senator Courtway (John Ireland), and high hopes for his fair-haired boxer of the moment, Duke Targo. When Cyrano hires Philip Marlowe to find out who is threatening Duke, Marlow discovers that Duke's girlfriend Jean (Roxanne Hunt) is squeezing the Senator for money by passing herself off as his illegitimate daughter, and is getting in the way of Cyrano's plans.

Marlowe (Powers Boothe) is hired by a dying millionaire to clean up his spendthrift son's gambling debts by digging up dirt on the pretty shill helping him drink his way through the family fortune. But Harriet Huntress is brighter than your average gold digger, and when Marlowe's information merchant turns up a few choice facts about her past, she begins glittering in a whole new light--and skeletons begin turning up in the most unexpected closets.

Anything can happen when the Santa Ana wind blows through town, as a late night murder in a bar sets Marlowe off on a new case. There's a woman with a secret, a missing pearl necklace, an affair that could destroy a career, and another corpse before it all wraps up and the red wind dies down.