After twenty-five years in prison for murdering a couple of cheerleaders, a quarterback, and the class president, "Hackin" Howard Rheinhart gets discharged. His case is assigned to Schlitz-drinking, Elvis-loving social worker and pro boxer Duffy Dombrowski. Soon, local high school VIP's start showing up dead, and Howard is nowhere to be found.
Duffy throws himself into Howard's defense while juggling a few problems of his own, like a huge upcoming boxing match, a new hormonal girlfriend, the unsolicited devotion of a goofy karate kid, and the ongoing misadventures of Al, Duffy's Basset Hound.