When Detroit auto workers Zeke Brown (Richard Pryor), Jerry Bartowski (Harvey Keitel) and Smokey James (Yaphet Kotto) decide to rob their own union, they are initially disappointed by the relatively low value of the heist. However, upon closer inspection, the three amateur thieves discover that they've made off with something potentially far more valuable than cash: the union's record book, full of fake numbers and links to organized crime. Should they blackmail the syndicate or turn to the authorities?