Philo Beddoe (Clint Eastwood) takes part in a bare knuckle fight, as he does, to make some more money than he can earn from his car repair business. He decides to retire from fighting, but when the Mafia comes along and arranges another fight, he is pushed into it. A motorcycle gang and an orangutan called Clyde (C.J. the Orangutan) all add to the "fun".