As a government employee in an office on the 47th floor of a Manhattan office tower, Sam Robbins deals with dull numbers in dull accounts and even duller people day in and day out. To help break the boredom, he ducks into the deserted stairwell several times a day to climb 30 to 50 flights of stairs. But when he overhears a whispered conversation between a colleague and a stranger planning a hit in Little Italy, Sam's boredom transforms from shock to fascination. The allure of potential danger and powerful weapons triggers fantasies of himself as the real-life hitman. He cautiously implements a scheme to befriend the mob assassin, discover all the details about the hit, and steal the contract for himself. As Sam becomes more involved and uncovers another conspiracy, he collides with people and events that cause his once-quiet life to spin out of control.