故事开始于1955年的纽约布鲁克林区，哈里·安格尔（米基·洛克 饰）是个胡子不剃、不停抽烟的私家侦探，专门调查离婚案。一天，一个自称叫路易斯·赛佛雷（罗伯特·德尼罗 饰）的神秘外国人找到了他，要他去寻找一个叫弗沃里特的歌唱家。这项任务钱很多，看起来也很轻松，哈里就接受了。 但是，哈里在调查中发现，自己所接触的每个与这件事情有关的人，都逐一被杀害：医生福勒、玛格丽特（夏洛特·兰普林 饰）、黑人音乐家图茨、伊桑。渐渐他发觉到事情的严重与神秘，自己也深陷其中，无法自拔。 本片改编自威廉·乔兹伯格的小说《堕落天使》。
Angel arrives and walks through an African-American neighborhood passing a group of mourners and enters a building where a strange Pentecostal-style service is being held with the preacher motivating the congregation to donate generously with the clear intention to upgrade his car. Harold watches fascinated from the gallery above and is joined by Herman Winesap, who introduces himself, and leads him to meet the client. Angel follows him past a room where a maid in a hooded black veil is scrubbing a massive blood stain from the wall with a ceramic bowl full of bloody water. Winesap casually mentions "One of Pastor John's flock took a gun to his head", while Angel looks on with a hypnotic look on his face. Winesap takes Angel to a separate closed room and introduces Angel to the client, Mr. Louis Cyphre (Robert De Niro).
Cyphre is a rather strange and creepy man with a black beard, long hair tied up in a ponytail, long fingernails, a pentagram ring, walking stick, and very calm demeanor. He does not rise up from his chair to shake hands with Angel. He asks for identification. Angel seems uncomfortable with this man and the spinning fans around him and Cyphre takes his time checking the ID, but is satisfied. Angel inquires how they found him, but Cyphre does not give him an answer and Cyphre interrupts with a question "Do you know Johnny Favorite?" Angel explains he is a small time detective, Cyphre pays no attention, and continues to say Favorite's real name was Johnny Liebling and he was a singer and crooner. Winesap explains that Cyphre had a contract with him and that he was involved in an accident with a bombing in North Africa during the war and got amnesia. Cyphre cuts in and asks if Angel was in the war. Angel tells his story that he was, but came back prematurely "a bit fucked up". Apparently, Cyphre just wants to know if his client is alive or dead, and believes that they were deceived at the hospital outside Poughkeepsie, and so they want Angel to "check it out". Cyphre thinks they have met before. Angel acts a little nervous, but is certain they haven't.
Angel drives away remembering the conversation points, whistling as he drives, he arrives at the hospital where the singer was supposed to have been. He presents a fake ID card as with the National Institute of Health, and enters to charm the receptionist, and despite her resistance, she shows him the records regarding Jonathan Liebling. He chats casually with the receptionist, and discovers that he was transferred on December 31, 1943. He inspects the report, to notice that signature is in ballpoint, a Dr. Albert Fowler. He observes that in 1943 they did not have ballpoint, and deduces it is a forgery. He asks about the doctor, only to be told that Dr. Fowler only works part-time there.
