Madison, Indiana, 1971. The Ohio river port is in full economic decline, its last pride and obsession being its uniquely town-owned power boat, although the raggedy old donation from a millionaire decades ago never comes close to a win. With his doted son Mike as most devoted fan, air-conditioner repairman Jim McCormick, who had to stop piloting it after a near-fatal accident, devotes all his 'spare' time to it, turning down professional opportunities as that would mean moving, as his wife suggests. Things climax when he realizes the town will either be scrapped from the national racing circuit or host the Gold Cup itself, requiring $50,000 fund raising.

Ray is young, charming, successful and the owner of a prosperous architect company. However, he has recently gone through a very painful divorce. His friends try to cheer him up by showing him the positive sides of being single but for Ray marriage and stability is just too important. But when he meets Lena his gloom is quickly forgotten. She is beautiful, sensual, mysterious and he is drawn to her like a moth to a candle. They marry quickly, have their first child and Ray lives in a total bliss. But then strange incidents occur which shed some light on Lena's background. Ray slowly realizes that he hardly knows anything about her at all. Who has he really married?

In 1889, a reclusive gun-for-hire, Cole Brandt, travels the barren Arizona desert bringing wanted fugitives to justice, dead or alive. He drifts from town to town, hunting down and seeking revenge on the men who killed his wife and child five years prior. When his travels take him to the lawless town of Dead River, he signs on to protect The Majestic Saloon, owned by Thomas Morgan and his wife, Sarah. Brandt soon meets a beautiful, innocent prostitute, Cassey May, who works at The Raven, the local brothel and hotel. Travis McCain, the owner of The Raven, is an outlaw who has taken control of Dead River, leaving the residents to live in fear of McCain and his rouge group of men. McCain soon learns about the relationship between Brandt and Cassey May, and threatens Cassey May with her life. Cassey May defies McCain, escaping The Raven, seeking protection with Sarah and Brandt at The Majestic Saloon...

An American professor (Brand) teams up with a Russian biker (Nevsky) to search for historical treasures buried in and around Moscow.