Derrick Stevens, a divorced navy veteran short on cash, works as a contract diver for the Houston Police Department (HPD), assisting in the recovery of cars in the Buffalo Bayou. The police believe that the submerged cars may contain the remains of missing people. Once the computer technicians mark the location of a vehicle, Derrick's job is to dive down and make sure the cars aren't stuck on anything before the police haul them out of the water. Derrick dives down to an '87 Camaro with two dead HPD officers inside. After noticing a $100 bill floating around the inside, Derrick opens the car door and discovers a duffel bag full of cash. He takes it out and hides it on the banks of the river, before returning to the car and signaling for the Camaro to be pulled out of the water. When he gets back on the boat, Derrick learns that the officers will have a long night of analyzing the car. Derrick returns to the scene in the middle of the night to retrieve the bag, being careful to avoid the police officers still working on the car. He snorkels through the river until he finds the duffel bag, but he is discovered on his way out of the water by an unfamiliar officer. Derrick pretends that the bag is full of debris from the river and manages to leave the scene without further questioning. Derrick fears that the $642,120 he stole from the police car might belong to a gang or other criminal group. He dedicates his life to preparing for the moment when the original owners finally find him. He moves into a fancy house with an expensive security system, acquires an arsenal of guns, trains in Krav Maga, and buys a bulletproof truck. One day, as he sits in his safe room and monitors the police scanners, he sees a woman on his security camera ringing the doorbell. She turns out to be Agent Abigail Larson from the IRS, who has noticed that his tax forms don't line up. Derrick loses the rest of his money and is sent to prison.