A young U.S. Navy veteran enraged by his treatment in the military takes up arms against local law enforcement and begins a week long siege of the city of New Orleans. His first target is the Central Jail where he kills a police recruit and injures a lieutenant.

Essex then vanishes only to emerge and kill another officer. Again he disappears and remains at large for a week , he is so adept and skillful at guerilla tactics that law enforcement has no idea how many shooters that they are dealing with.