Sam is a professional gambler, complete with the whole package: highs and lows in fortune, an ex-wife with money, and an estranged son, Jack, who lives solid-citizen but tries to rival his father. The rivalry comes to a head when Sam starts living with a much-younger woman nicknamed Princess that he picks up in the desert town of Indio on his way back from a mediocre gambling jaunt in Laughlin, Nevada. At first distrustful of Sam, their relationship grows unexpectedly warm - except that, while she appears to love Sam, Princess also sleeps with Jack. Meanwhile, Sam teaches Princess the skills of the gambling trade: Sam's reputation is that "He always wins when it counts." Their fortunes take a nosedive, though, when Sam makes a wrong calculation on a low-end bet and winds up with both his knees smashed - just after he'd lined-up Insa, a female connection to a dangerous high stakes gambling syndicate.