Based on the true story of 1960s thrill-killer Charles Schmid ("The Pied Piper of Tucson"): Skipper Todd (Robert F. Lyons) is a charismatic 23-year old who charms his way into the lives of high-school kids in a small California town. Girls find him attractive and are only too willing to accompany him to a nearby desert area to be his "girl for the night." But not all of them return. Featuring Richard Thomas as his loyal hanger-on and a colorful assortment of familiar actors in vivid character roles, including Barbara Bel Geddes, Gloria Grahame, Edward Asner, Fay Spain, James Broderick, and Michael Conrad.