| Director | Ivan Passer |
|---|
J, a former hair dresser, has broken up with his wife and become an aimless drug addict frequenting Times Square. He lives his new life by dealing drugs from time to time for Vivian, a successful and intimidating drug dealer. J thinks that his life is about love and peace, yet he and his fellow friend and junkie Billy Dynamite try to steal a safe behind the back of a cashier. However, as with many of J's misadventures, they fail when confronted, and they chaotically flee the scene.
One day while trying to steal a car, J meets the car's owner Parm, a free spirited girl who takes a liking to J. They go back to her apartment, with J intending to steal things from her, yet the two fall in love. While making love, Parm finds a tattoo on J's arm that says "Born to Win", of which J is very proud.
When J returns to his routine, his drug habit grows and, after delivering drugs to Stanley, who is a prominent member of Vivian's supply chain, he and Billy return to steal back the drugs from Stanley's girlfriend. They have to ditch the drugs, however, when, on their way out of the apartment, two dirty policemen confront them and apprehend J. On the threat of serious jail time, J agrees to work alongside them by becoming a narc and reporting to them on Vivian.
Stanley soon catches up to J, who narrowly escapes serious harm from his men. After making an airport delivery, J and Parm flee the city to a beach on Long Island. They briefly experience romantic bliss, but J insists on returning to the city for payment for the airport delivery. On returning, he faces further, increasingly intense pressure from Stanley and Vivian. The detectives force him to arrange a meeting with Vivian, who senses that it is a set up and refuses to make a deal.
J reunites with Billy, and things seem hopeful again. Billy tells J that he appreciates the certainty of purpose that their lifestyle provides. This relative calm does not last long, however. While together in an office building, Billy shoots up with drugs that are intended for J and immediately dies—the drugs were a "hot shot" intended to kill.
A panicked and distraught J abandons his dead friend in the elevator. J and Parm make one last attempt to leave the city but run into the detectives again, who plant drugs on Parm and take her away for arrest. His plans having failed, J sinks deeper into turmoil with feelings of self-hatred and goes to Vivian's club. Vivian gives him free drugs, and both he and J acknowledge that the dosages may very easily be a hot shot. Alone and with his future completely uncertain, J sits on a bench in the middle of Times Square.