Miss Mona (Dolly Parton) runs the Chicken Ranch, a brothel with a long history in a small Texas town. The locals have a good relationship with the institution, and Mona is respected in the community. The sheriff, Ed Earl Dodd (Burt Reynolds), also looks out for the Chicken Ranch due to his past with Miss Mona. However, when pious reporter Melvin Thorpe (Dom DeLuise) exposes the brothel, outside interests want it shut down, putting the governor (Charles Durning) in a tough spot.

Wile E. Coyote, tired of unsuccessfully pursuing the Road Runner over the years, stumbles upon a television ad for Avery, Jones & Maltese, a personal injury law firm in Albuquerque specializing in cases of cartoon violence involving Acme products. Wile E. meets with the senior partner, Kevin Avery, looking to sue Acme for the various defective devices used in chasing the Road Runner. While Kevin's niece and intern Paige is eager to take Acme to court, Kevin prefers to settle to avoid trial. However, Wile E. forces a trial after refusing to settle in a meeting with Acme's legal counsel Buddy Crane, a successful attorney and Kevin's rival from Harvard.

After accidentally killing an opponent in the ring, boxer Sean Thornton leaves America and returns to his native Ireland, hoping to buy his family's homestead and live in peace. In doing so, he runs afoul of Will Danaher, who long coveted the property. Spitefully, Will objects when his fiery sister, Mary Kate, begins a romance with Sean and refuses to hand over her dowry. Mary Kate refuses to consummate the marriage until Sean retrieves the money.