Crime is a way of life for Bob (Matt Dillon) and his wife Dianne (Kelly Lynch). Their lives are fuelled by an addiction that drives them from state to state robbing pharmacies for pills and thrills. Bob is a legend in his own right, honoured by his fellow gang members for his cold, tough and streetwise leadership, a quality that even the cops who are out to nail him have to respect.

But luck is running out fast… and with the death of a close gang member, Bob must find the strength to give up drugs. His decision turns his relationship with his wife, Dianne into a triangle, with drugs as his irresistible rival, winning her from him. Tough, sassy, clever and streetwise, Gus Van Sant's Drugstore Cowboy brilliantly captures the sights and sounds of the 70s.