Nomi (played by Elizabeth Berkley) is a sexy and beautiful young woman who comes to Las Vegas to strike gold, hoping to find a steady job here. However, upon her arrival, she gets her luggage stolen by petty criminals, leaving her broke. She meets a makeup artist named Cristal (played by Gina Gershon), and they quickly become good friends. Nomi realizes that getting a job in Las Vegas is extremely difficult, and her passion for dance leads her to decide to join the most famous exotic dance troupe in town. After a series of auditions, Nomi secures her role, but once she starts to get involved in this complex world of glamour and vice, her descent becomes unrelenting. The once self-respecting Nomi begins to sell her body to climb the social ladder. As Nomi's fame grows, her distance from Cristal increases. To mend their friendship, Nomi arranges for Cristal to meet her idol, only to find that the idol is actually a predator, resulting in Cristal suffering abuse and ending up in the hospital, ultimately shattering Nomi's last illusions about fame and money.
