Fred Madison is a saxophonist who finds a video tape on his doorstep that shows the interior of his house, he becomes convinced that someone has broken in and calls the police. Fred finds another videotape showing him killing his wife. The police arrest and accuse him, under mysterious circumstances, of murdering his wife. In prison, he inexplicably morphs into a young man named Pete Dayton and begins living a completely different life. When Pete is released, his and Fred's paths begin to cross in a surreal, suspenseful web of intrigue, orchestrated by a shady gangster boss named Dick Laurent.