 Los Angeles 1948: private eye Jake Gittes shall convict the client Jake Berman s wife of adultery. But instead of making her a scene like planned, Berman shoots her lover in affect - or was it murder? Gittes is surprised when he learns that the dead was Berman s companion, who now inherits his share of the company. Of course the police doesn t believe it was affect and suspects Gittes too. The dead lover s widow manages to force Gittes into investigating against his own client... The trace leads back to an old case in Chinatown.