弗兰克和艾迪,一对自以为是的废物,打算凑足够的钱离开那个他们称之为家的德州小镇。当小镇黑老大“蜘蛛”给一大笔报酬让他们开卡车将满满一车走私烟送往墨西哥时,他们认为机会来了。弗兰克和艾迪欣然接受了这个机会,但很快发现卡车是个陷阱而他俩被算计了,一天下来他们欠了“蜘蛛”25万美圆。艾迪是一个兼职的掘墓工,他听说一个傍着大款的舞女最近死了,下葬时还戴了一条价值连城的项链。于是弗兰克和艾迪指定了一个周密的计划,挖出那个舞女,偷走项链,藏起她勒索赎金The dumb loser Frank Muzzy invites his alcoholic friend and gravedigger Eddie to raise some money bootlegging US$ 250,000.00 in cigarettes for the powerful mobster Spider to Mexico. However, their truck catches fire and they lose the load. Frank becomes desperate to raise the amount, and hides himself with Eddie in the house of his mother. When Frank sees in the newspaper the picture of Crystal Harkness, the wife of the tycoon Harkness, Eddie confirms that she was a former strip dancer and buried with a valuable necklace. Frank forces Eddie to exhume her body, but they do not find the jewel. Frank brings Crystal's corpse to his hideout and decides to ask a ransom to Harkness getting into a deeper trouble, while Eddie falls in love for Crystal.