The story follows James Ballard () and his wife Catherine ( Deborah Kara Unger ), a couple whose stagnant marriage is revitalized after James survives a head-on collision. They become entangled with a subculture of fetishists—led by the enigmatic Vaughn ( Elias Koteas ) and fellow survivor Helen Remington ( Holly Hunter ) —who find sexual transcendence through the violence and twisted metal of automobile accidents.