Hollywood, 1927: As silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion, he sparks with Peppy Miller, a young dancer set for a big break.

Steele, a plainclothes Chicago cop, is recruited by the FBI to foil an assassination plot in Dallas, Texas. It seems that Joe Keno, a former nemesis of Steele, is planning to assassinate the Iraqi ambassador to the U.S. Keno is funded by several prominent Texas businessmen. Steele travels to Dallas, where he makes friends with Barnes; Steele is contacted by a Dallas-based FBI agent who sets him up with his contact, "Peacekeeper." Joe Keno has abandoned previous ways and methods; the assassin is now also a serial killer. While Keno's victims are found in abandoned warehouses and parks, Steele encounters numerous obstacles. The Chicago cop encounters friendly Texas racists, is ambushed in a redneck saloon, and battles the incompetence and petty jealousy of Dallas police. Meanwhile Steele tries to stop Keno before the Iraqi ambassador becomes his next victim.