Chicago police detective Frank Hooks, played by Fred Williamson, busts a drug dealer named Goldie. Goldie gets out on bail, then Frank gets a tip that a $100 million deal is going down. Frank and his partners (ably played by John Saxon and Richard Roundtree) stake the deal out, and break it up, but Goldie escapes with the money. After chasing the criminal on foot, Frank shoots Goldie dead. None of the police can locate the money. Goldie's boss Mayfield suspects that Frank has stolen the money for himself. Meanwhile, Frank is suspended from the police force pending an internal affairs investigation. Mayfield sends two gangsters to find out who snitched about the drug deal, and to which cop. Their informant names Frank Hooks. After Mayfield threatens Frank and his nightclub singer girlfriend (played by Nancy Wilson), the girlfriend's cat turns up dead. The criminals demand the return of their money, and stipulate a time and place for its return.