A laid-back Los Angeles bowler named Jeff Lebowski, nicknamed "The Dude", is beaten up by thugs who let him know that his wife owes money to Jackie Treehorn. One problem remains; The Dude has never been married and has never heard of Jackie Treehorn. Realizing the situation is a case of mistaken identity, The Dude discovers another Jeff Lebowski living in LA. This second Lebowski is a millionaire who throws The Dude out of his house, but not before he gets a glipse of Lebowski's wife Bunny. The next day, The Dude gets a call from Lebowski saying Bunny's been kidnapped for a $1 million ransom. Lebowski offers The Dude 20 grand to act as the courier for the money. The Dude agrees, taking along his bowling buddy Walter who suggests they blow off the kidnapping and steal the money for themselves. The Dude disagrees but when Walter hands the kidnappers a bag of laundry, they are in deep. Things only get worse when The Dude's car is stolen with the $1 million inside.