In 1997, Luke Glanton (Gosling) is a motorcycle stuntman. In Schenectady, New York, Luke reunites with his ex-lover Romina Gutierrez (Mendes), who is dating another man named Kofi Kancam (Ali). Luke discovers that Romina has a baby son named Jason that he fathered which she never revealed to him, so Luke quits his job to stay with Romina and their son.
Luke begins working part-time for auto mechanic Robin Van Der Hook (Mendelsohn). Luke asks Robin for more work and Robin who can’t offer it legitimately, reveals his past as a successful bank robber and offers to partner up for a few robberies. Skeptical at first, Luke decides to take Robin up on his offer after planning and setting up their first job. They successfully pull off a few heists by having Luke rob the bank at gun point, use his bike as a getaway vehicle and ride it into a box truck driven by Robin.