Billy Brown (Vincent Gallo) is released from prison after serving five years for a crime he didn't commit. Desperate to impress his parents, who are unaware that he has been inside, he tells them that he has been working for the CIA, taking along dance instructor Layla (Christina Ricci) to pose as his girlfriend and back up his story. Layla co-operates with an unexpected degree of enthusiasm, and while Billy plans murderous revenge on the man responsible for his imprisonment, she helps him on the path to forgiveness and redemption.