Disillusioned by his years as a spy, Robert McCall resigns from his job, determined to help people in need. His first two clients are a telecommunications employee who stumbles onto an extortion ring, and a woman threatened by a stalker.

McCall's attempt to help a former agent defect from the USSR goes badly, leaving the man's daughter in peril. McCall is also asked by a teenage boy for help against a local gang of bullies.