A crusading reporter for the weekly L.A. New Times spends his time writing exposes on the conditions permitted by slumlords. However, when his best friend is killed by a corrupt business executive, he is forced to start trying to find the evidence. This leads him into conflict with many surly longshoremen and hit men. Meanwhile, he makes a new acquaintance in a bookstore clerk, who also happens to be a computer whiz and aids him in finding the information he needs.