Lou Bloom is a man desperate for a second chance in life; out of work and resorting to petty crime to get by, no job would be too small and no negative too harsh to defeat his purpose. A casual encounter with freelance journalists shooting a car crash shows him the way to the sleazy world of local TV news and its no holds barred, constant search for sensationalist footage. After veteran news editor Nina notices his unscrupulous potential and tips him on what works best for her audience – namely crimes in affluent areas – Lou hits the road, armed solely with a scanner to listen to police transmissions and helped by his newly recruited assistant shouting GPS directions, aiming to reach the scenes of crimes first and sneak around for the most exclusive material. Arriving before the police to a house where a triple homicide has just been committed will change his luck.