Milquetoast car salesman Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) is in a bit of a financial fix so he hires two thugs (Steve Buscemi and Gaear Grimsrud) to execute what he thinks is a brilliant solution to his problems. But when Jerry's plans begin to unravel, and the thugs completely botch the job, Officer Marge Gunderson (Francis McDormand), sweetly tenacious, homespun brilliant and eight months pregnant, begins to do a bit of her own unraveling, and soon discovers that meek little Jerry has some dark secrets he's hiding.