Scottie Ferguson, a San Francisco police detective is forced to retire when a freak accident gives him a severe case of acrophobia. Ferguson is hired by a rich shipbuilder to follow his wife who is behaving suspiciously and might be planning suicide. He falls in love with her, she is later murdered and Ferguson becomes demonic in his desire to re-create her in another woman.

Sensitive to outcries of police brutality, San Francisco Detective Harry Callahan's bosses send him on an out-of-town assignment until events cool down. But wherever Harry goes, things just get hotter. This time, he is tracking a traumatized rape victim who coldly guns down her bygone attackers-- and as secrets come to light, starts striking an empathetic chord in the pursuing lawman.

Dirty Harry Callahan must stop a sick secret contest to murder local celebrities, which includes himself as a target.

Detective Harry Callahan has a new partner, Inspector Kate Moore, who has two jobs: tracking down a band of armed-and-wacko terrorists and winning Harry's confidence.