After falling on an enemy grenade in Vietnam, Joe Ryan is awarded the Silver Star, even though the weapon failed to explode. Returning home to Los Angeles, Joe, who feels he is living on “borrowed time,” grows his hair long, smokes marijuana and becomes a hippie. One day, on Hollywood Blvd., Joe encounters a police officer abusing some teenagers and playfully steals the officer’s motorcycle. Jailed for misconduct, Joe attracts the attention of Frank Redford, a ruthless agent from the Washington offices of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, who, impressed by the fact that Joe won a Silver Star, tries to convince him to help trap Tallin, a syndicate drug lord operating out of Los Angeles, who uses the alias of Henry Neilson. Joe refuses to become a “clay pigeon,” arguing that narcotics dealers avoid prosecution by bribing politicians, while marijuana smokers are prosecuted to the letter of the law. Undeterred, Redford defies the orders of the police captain to leave Joe alone and decides to use him to flush out the drug dealer. Redford arranges for Joe’s release, then notifies the press that Neilson escaped after being arrested and hands them a picture of Joe, claiming that he is Neilson. Joe sees the story while staying with an addicted youth named Tracy at a commune operated by teenage runaways. When Neilson spots the article, he sends his two henchmen, Simon and Jason, to catch the imposter. The thugs visit Joe’s friend, eccentric sculptor Freedom Lovelace, demanding information about Joe’s whereabouts, and when Freedom refuses to cooperate, they break his arms and beat him mercilessly. Tracking Tracy to the commune, Neilson and his thugs demand to know where Joe is hiding, and when she refuses to help them, they give her a lethal dose of heroin. Returning to the commune after the thugs have gone, Joe witnesses Tracy’s excruciating death and, enraged, tracks down Redford and thrashes him for his treachery. Simon, Jason and Neilson next visit Joe’s friend Saddle, a black drug addict, who, under torture, reveals that Joe is hiding in a deserted old mansion in the Hollywood Hills. They then proceed to the mansion, where Joe is in bed with his girl friend Angeline. Bursting into the bedroom, the thugs kill Angie and wound Joe, who escapes through a window and flees to the Hollywood Bowl. With the thugs in pursuit, Joe runs backstage and grabs an axe with which he impales Jason. Grabbing Jason’s shotgun, Joe shoots Simon and Neilson. The blast from the shell sends Neilson flying into the pool in front of the stage. Joe jumps in after him and, as Joe thrashes Neilson, Redford and the police arrive and pull Joe out of the water. Still defiant, the bloody Joe denounces Redford.