At a Southern California women’s prison, policewoman Lacy Bond fights a crowd of inmates during a jailbreak. Only two of the women escape, and Lacy is congratulated by Inspector Dan Martell, who heads the local police squad’s detective unit. Martell asks if Lacy would be interested in working on a dangerous operation in the field, and she agrees. Although Lieutenant Frank Mitchell disapproves because Lacy is a woman, Martell suggests they run her through a course at the police academy to gauge her abilities. After Lacy impresses the men with her driving, target shooting, and martial arts skills, they explain that their task is to stop a well-organized gang of women from smuggling gold into the country. In the past four months, two boats carrying over $200,000 in gold bullion have been stopped at Catalina Island, leading the secret service to believe that many more have escaped detection, and such large amounts of gold on the black market threaten to devalue U. S. government gold reserves. To ensure her safety, Lacy receives a makeup compact with a hidden radio and a cigarette lighter that has been rigged to send a distress signal in case she finds herself in a life-threatening situation. On a stakeout with Frank and Sergeant Pete Peterson, Lacy watches for activity outside a ranch owned by Maude, a suspect in her seventies who has been charged with many crimes but never convicted. As Peterson and Frank leave the car to talk to another police officer, a young woman named Susan drives up to Maude’s gate but speeds away when she sees Frank and Peterson. Lacy commandeers Frank’s car and chases Susan, who skids off a cliff in an attempt to evade Lacy. Martell arrives at the scene of the crash and learns that Susan was smuggling heroin. Peterson accuses Lacy of ruining their cover by chasing the girl, but Lacy argues that Peterson and Frank exposed themselves by standing in the street. Martell infuriates the men by taking Lacy’s side. Meanwhile, Janette and Pam Harris, the two inmates who escaped in the jailbreak, arrive at Maude’s ranch. Janette thanks Maude for sending explosives to the prison and introduces her to Pam. Kim, an Asian American woman who works for Maude, shouts racial slurs at Pam, an African American, inciting a fight. After Pam overpowers Kim, Maude offers her a job. Pam agrees to join Maude’s crew and is warned to stay away from Doc, Maude’s much younger boyfriend. That night, Martell joins Lacy, Frank, and Peterson as they watch surveillance footage of Maude’s gate. Martell says an armored car was just robbed by a group of women, and another $200,000 in gold bullion was found on a boat abandoned by six women during a police shootout. When Martell instructs the detectives to rent a boat and go to Catalina, Frank suggests that he and Lacy pretend to be a sightseeing couple and Lacy agrees. Back at the ranch, Doc complains that they lost another boat, but Maude reminds him they have lost only three out of sixty-five. Frank and Lacy sail to Catalina and spend a day on the island. At dinner, Frank confesses that he is attracted to Lacy despite being afraid of her. They make love in their hotel room, and, afterward, Lacy explains that she excelled in karate as a teenager and decided to join the police force after determining that law enforcement would be more just with a greater number of policewomen. The next day, Frank spots four women on the dock and identifies one, Caroline Beale, as a former call girl he once arrested. He and Lacy follow the women as they set out to sea. Recognizing Frank through binoculars, Caroline calls off the pickup and turns the boat around. Instructing Lacy to sail close to the women’s boat, Frank jumps from one boat deck to the other. However, the women attack him. Lacy jumps onto the women’s boat, coming to Frank’s aid and overpowering his attackers. After the women are taken prisoner, Lacy suggests to Inspector Martell that she try to infiltrate Maude’s crew. Although Frank worries about Lacy’s safety, Martell agrees to her plan. Raymond Wills, the man who manages Maude’s boats, informs Maude that Caroline’s boat, the Westerly, never returned. Maude and her gang fly to Catalina and meet with Wills. Doc calls Maude’s contacts in Mexico to see if the shipment of gold was made, suspicious that Caroline and the others ran off with it. Lacy flirts with a dock worker to find out that Wills owns the Westerly. She goes to his house, where Doc interrogates and beats her, although Lacy insists she simply towed the Westerly back to the dock after finding it empty. Pam and Janette recognize Lacy, and Pam identifies her as a fellow inmate at a prison in Chicago, Illinois. Lacy confirms the story, and Pam tells Maude that Lacy is trustworthy. That night at a restaurant, Janette realizes Lacy is a policewoman. Suspecting that Pam is also a cop, Janette runs. Outside, Pam tackles Janette, who falls off the side of a cliff and dies. Pam admits to Lacy that she works for the secret service, and they agree to work together. Pam and Lacy join Maude and Doc as they take a boat out the next day. A submarine approaches the boat and releases a torpedo filled with gold bullion. Maude’s crew drags the torpedo inland, where four military vehicles await. As the women change into military uniforms, Lacy activates her distress signal. Doc detects the signal and pinpoints the source. In the back of one of the trucks, Maude and Doc hold Lacy and Pam hostage as the fake military convoy starts down the road. Pam knocks out Maude and steals her gun while Lacy beats Doc into unconsciousness. When Pam takes over the truck, Lacy jumps to the truck in front of them, commandeering that vehicle as well. Lacy pulls to the front of the convoy and sends the first car over a cliff. The trucks come to a halt, and Pam holds the other women at gunpoint. Kim runs, but Lacy chases and beats her in a karate fight. Martell and Frank arrive, and Lacy provides information about the warehouse where the gold was to be taken. Frank tells Lacy they have been assigned another job as a couple, and they sneak away in a police car together.