Police detectives Roger Murtaugh and Martin Riggs speed through the streets of Los Angeles, California, in pursuit of suspected drug smugglers. Roger drives cautiously in his wife’s new station wagon, but Martin urges him to go faster, and the car is severely battered as a result. When their targets crash through a storefront and disappear, Roger and Martin find one million dollars in gold Krugerrands, a South African currency, in the trunk of the wrecked car. At the police station, Captain Murphy reprimands Roger for failing to make an arrest and downplaying the operation as a “routine drug bust.” Later, to the amusement of his fellow police officers, Martin escapes from a straitjacket by dislocating his shoulder, which he can do on command after a past injury. The police psychiatrist reminds Martin that her door is always open, but he shrugs off her suggestion that he needs therapy. Roger reveals that his daughter Rianne’s new television commercial debuts that night, and Martin relays the news to their fellow officers. Later, Martin joins the Murtaughs for a viewing of the commercial, which turns out, to Roger’s dismay, to be an advertisement for condoms. Meanwhile, Hans, one of the men Martin and Roger were pursuing, reports to his South African crime boss, Arjen Rudd. Angry that his money was lost, Arjen orders Pieter Vorstedt, one of his henchmen, to shoot Hans. Back at the Murtaugh’s, Roger’s wife, Trish, returns a gold pen to Martin, prompting him to explain its significance. He recalls finding it on the floor on the night his wife, Vicky, was killed in a car accident. Martin blames himself for her death because he forgot about their date that night, leaving her to drive home alone. Martin returns home to his beachside trailer, while Arjen Rudd’s thugs break into Roger’s house and threaten him to back off of their organization. The next day, Roger sends his wife and children to stay at his sister-in-law’s house and returns to work. Capt. Murphy assigns Roger and Martin to “babysit” Leo Getz, a witness in a high-profile drug case who requires protective custody. Martin and Roger complain about the assignment but comply. At a high-end hotel, they meet Getz, a garrulous accountant who laundered a half billion dollars for a crime syndicate. Getz says he stole from the syndicate and turned himself in after they discovered his treachery. An assassin disguised as a room service attendant arrives to kill Getz, but does not succeed and runs away. Intrigued by Getz’s criminal ties, Martin and Roger discover that Getz never dealt with the organization directly except for an interview that took place in a house on stilts. They lead Getz on a search for the house, and when they find it, Martin disguises himself as a pool cleaner only to discover that the house has no pool. He is attacked by three thugs, among whom is the room service assassin, but Roger helps fend them off and the partners escape. The room service assassin steals a tow truck parked on the street, and Martin jumps on the car being towed. Roger and Getz follow. Martin crawls to the cab of the tow truck, causing the room service assassin to crash and be killed. Roger and Martin return to the house on stilts with police backup. There, Arjen Rudd greets them with his entourage and identifies himself as the Minister of Diplomatic Affairs for the South African Consulate. Reminding the officers that he cannot be arrested under the Diplomatic Relations Act, Rudd urges the police to leave. On their way out, Martin flirts with Rika Van Den Haas, Rudd’s secretary. Back at the station, Capt. Murphy forbids Roger and Martin from pursuing Rudd, despite their newfound knowledge that he is connected to Getz’s crime syndicate, because he is “beyond the law.” Meanwhile, Rudd arranges to move his cash out of the country in one large shipment. One day, Roger does not show up for work and Martin finds him at home, sitting on the toilet. Roger says he has been there all night since discovering a message on the toilet paper that reads, “Boom, you’re dead!” Martin confirms that a bomb has been rigged to the commode and calls in the bomb squad. As everyone else evacuates, Martin agrees to stay with Roger, who must jump from the toilet and into the bathtub with a bomb blanket to avoid certain death as the bomb detonates. The partners survive the blast. Afterward, Roger and Getz stage a distraction at the South African embassy so that Riggs can sneak into Rudd’s office. After stealing a slip of paper, Riggs warns Rudd to leave the U.S. and shoots a large fish tank in the wall. Reuniting with Roger and Getz, Martin says the slip of paper he stole contains the note, “Alba Varden, Thursday.” Roger says the name Alba Varden is familiar but he is not sure why. Later, Martin follow’s Rudd’s secretary, Rika Van Den Haas, to the grocery store and insists she go on a date with him. At his trailer, Rika admits she does not like her boss but wants to keep her job so she can stay in Los Angeles. Elsewhere, several officers from Roger and Martin’s police squad are assassinated by Rudd’s men, while Roger watches a home video filmed on his boat and spots a ship named Alba Varden in the background. As Rika and Martin make love in his trailer, a descending helicopter interrupts. Rudd’s thugs fire machine guns at the trailer. Escaping through a dog door, Martin fires back at the helicopter, which crashes as Martin and Rika drive away. Rika invites Martin to stay at her apartment, but he declines. Returning to his car, he is kidnapped by Pieter Vorstedt, who recalls the first time he tried to kill Martin years ago, when he was working as a narcotics detective and came too close to discovering Rudd’s operation. Instead of killing Martin, however, Pieter reveals it was he who killed Martin’s wife in a car accident. The infuriated Martin is led to a dock and pushed into the ocean, bound in a sack. Using his escape artist skills, he breaks free and swims to the surface, finding Rika’s drowned body on the way up. Devastated, Martin calls Roger from his truck and announces plans to retaliate. Roger begs him not to go, but agrees to accompany his distraught partner. Approaching Rudd’s house on stilts, Roger warns Martin to be careful and informs him that Rudd’s men have kidnapped Getz. While Pieter interrogates Getz inside, Martin drives his truck to the bottom of the hill, ties the vehicle to the house stilts with rope, and drives away, pulling the stilts with him. At the same time, Roger breaks into the house, shoots several of Rudd’s henchmen, and saves Getz before the house collapses. Martin and Roger return to the dock to find the Alba Varden. They discover a container aboard the ship filled with millions of dollars in cash and a sports car. Rudd traps them inside, but Roger and Martin escape by driving the car through the side of the container and into the ocean, causing the drug money to scatter in the wind. The men split up as Rudd’s thugs pursue. In a fight, Martin overpowers Pieter and stabs him to death, but Rudd retaliates by shooting Martin. Despite his claims of diplomatic immunity, Roger shoots Rudd and goes to help the wounded Martin, whom he believes to be dying. Martin surprises Roger by cracking a joke and pretending to flirt with him, and the men laugh as sirens approach.