Kenny Dantley (Mark Hamill) is a car-loving Southern California high school senior. For a project in his shop class, Kenny helps build a customized Chevrolet Corvette Stingray with right-hand-drive. Shortly after the new set of wheels is unveiled, the car is stolen from the streets of Van Nuys. Kenny immediately sets out on the trail of the thieves, which takes him to Las Vegas. On the way, he meets Vanessa (Annie Potts) who is a self-described “prostitute-in-training.”

Kenny finds work in a Vegas gas station, and one day spots his car. He follows it to a local garage, where he has a run-in with the garage owner, Wayne Lowry (Kim Milford), before being rescued by Vanessa. Lowry contacts Kenny’s high school teacher, Ed McGrath (Eugene Roche), and McGrath then comes to Las Vegas. During a conversation with McGrath, Kenny is crushed to learn that this admired teacher of his had arranged for the theft of the Corvette to help himself out of financial trouble. When McGrath suggests Kenny go to work for Lowry, Kenny agrees to it. He will make good money, but secretly plans to steal the Corvette back from Lowry,