Hollywood. 1955. Faced with two inexperienced actors, the director (Peter Coyote) of Strange and Dangerous (film-within-a-film) encourages the leading lady (Victoria Tennant) and leading man (Blaine Novak) to fall in love in "real life" so as to provide the "heat" needed for the inner film's romance.
The actress' jealous gangster boyfriend (Richard Romanus), who happens to be the film's financier, is kept in the dark about this love triangle. When the financier finally realizes what is going on, he flies off in a violently jealous rage.
The suspense and tension draws to a tingling close with a strange twist at the ending.