The movie follows New York City detectives Popeye Doyle and Buddy Russo who hope to break a narcotics smuggling ring and ultimately uncover The French Connection. The more Popeye and Cloudy dig, the closer they get, to where Chanier agrees to an attempt on Popeye's life that results in a brutal train hijacking and automobile pursuit, and eventually to a showdown between police and mobsters outside the city.