Thelma is an abused and neglected wife, while her friend Louise is a bitter, hard-edged waitress. The two decide to take a brief vacation to escape the drudgery of their everyday lives. Immediately, they run into trouble, as Louise shoots and kills a man who tries to rape Thelma in the parking lot of a country bar. Now they are outlaws on a desperate flight across the Southwest with a determined detective on their trail, a sweet-talking hitchhiker in their path, and a string of crimes in their wake.