For Hire is a taut and complex thriller about potential for evil inherent in every man. Mitch Lawrence (Rob Lowe), a Chicago cabby and would be actor, is a man whose dreams are starting to face. He's got a loving and pregnant wife, Faye and a decent clientele, including successful writer Lou Webber (Joe Mantegna) but over all his life is one of quiet frustration, even desperation. Then one night after Mitch takes Webber home, Webber reveals that his wealthy and ordered life-style has some hidden horrors. A drug dealer whose story he exposed in a prior book is stalking him. The cops, he says, are in on it too. He's got nowhere to turn. Mitch is sympathetic, but it's not his problem. Then a few nights later stomach pains overwhelm him and he passes out on Webber's front porch. When he regains consciousness, Webb and his neighbour, Dr. Shepherd, drive him home. The next day, at Dr. Shepherd's office he is diagnosed with inoperable stomach cancer, which, as it did with his father, will kill him in a matter of months. This changes everything. Desperate to set up a next-egg for Faye, from whom he has hidden his illness, Mitch reconsiders Webber's indecent proposal; enough money to take care of Faye and the baby after he's gone - if Mitch will take care of Webber's problem now. Webber will supply the gun and half the cash in advance, the rest of the money after Mitch does the deed. Mitch agonizes over the decision, but after several days and his time ticking away, he decides to accept Webbers offer. Mitch finds the man in a seedy Motel, at a time set-up by Webber. But Mitch freezes up at the last possible moment; he's not really a killer. Unexpectedly, and in a desperate effort to save himself, the Man jumps Mitch. The gun goes off in the struggle - killing the Man. Over the next few months Mitch's life falls apart as he struggles with guilt and self-recrimination. After his stomach pains suddenly disappear, he gets a second opinion on his cancer - which he learns is now non-existent. Puzzled he tries to locate Dr. Shepherd - but he too has disappeared. Then one day Mitch thinks he sees the Man he killed in the Motel alive and well - but he, too, disappears into a crowd. That night, Mitch sees Webber on a TV talk show discussing his upcoming "novel", FOR HIRE, and suddenly realises the whole thing was Webber's sick way of "researching" his new book. Mitch never had cancer. There was no murder. Webber was just using him for his own twisted purposes. Meanwhile, the Man in the Motel tries to blackmail Webber who, true to form, turns the tables on the Man and kills him with the same gun Mitch unsuccessfully used earlier. Then Webber frames the murder on Mitch, the perfect fall guy. On the run from the police and determined to bring Webber to justice, Mitch digs into Webber's past. He discovers that Webber did this before when he deliberately drove a young man crazy to get the raw material for his prior book, Paranoid. Mitch convinces police detective Kelman, the brother of Webber's first victim, to help him set-up Webber. A very unauthorized and revealing biography of Webber starts appearing in his E-mail; a mysterious delivery man spikes his coffee; strange messages are left on his answering machine. His fax machine spews out endless pages of blank paper. Suddenly, Webber's once controlled life is thrown into chaos. Now the victim of one of his own evil games, Webber fights back, using all his resources to trick and trap Mitch. The two adversaries ultimately confront each other in a deserted theatre in a riveting showdown that culminates on the catwalks high above the massive theatre's stage.

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