Frederick J. Frenger Jr. (who asks to be called "Junior"), a violent sociopath recently released from a California prison, starts a new life in Miami. Before leaving the airport, he steals luggage and kills a Hare Krishna by breaking his fingers. Junior checks into a hotel and hooks up with Susie Waggoner, a naive part time prostitute who is a student at a community college. They become romantically involved and move in to a house together, with Susie blissfully unaware of Junior's criminal activities and harboring fantasies of living happily ever after.