Chloride, Arizona: Larry Dagger, forty years old, is an unemployed, ex demolition derby driver, trying to support his wife and two children. Driving home one night, he saves a man, Johnny, who is Christlike in appearance and is lying naked and wounded in the road. Vera, Larry's wife, cleans and stitches his wounds. With no money, Johnny agrees to stay with the Daggers, convincing Larry to get back into derbying. Larry becomes obsessed with the idea of building a car for the next derby and Johnny starts having an affair with Vera. This stranger's arrival in the Daggers home will change their lives forever.