Tossed out by his girlfriend and turned away by his old friend Frankie, Milo Thomas is broke and alone on the mean streets of Detroit. He inadvertently absconds with a briefcase full of the mobs money while trying to fend off a mobster. His plan to return the money is thwarted when a marine hitchhiker disappears with the money. Desperate, Milo heads north in a raging blizzard to reunite with his wealthy but estranged brother, hoping that they can renew their friendship and perhaps his brother can help Milo out. But when his brother does not support him, he then begins a search to find the marine and get back the mobs money. While trying to stay ahead of the bad guys, he becomes embroiled with the local citizenry of of a small town who have found a unique, if not illegal, way of dealing with its sagging economy. They are not happy with his interference, and the results are murder and mayhem. Milos relationship with a local woman, Annie, blossoms into a full-scale romance, and he develops a curious relationship with Annies brilliant fifteen-year-old daughter.