A wide variety of eccentric competitors participate in a wild and illegal cross-country road race. However, the eccentric entrants will do anything to win the road race, including low-down, dirty tricks.
A fired TV salesman (Roth) abandons his girlfriend (Fonda) for the open highway. Encouraged by her best friend (Cates), the girlfriend has an affair with an idealistic local house painter (Stoltz) just as the boyfriend returns.