The film is the story of an alienated Vietnam veteran, Travis Brickle (Robert de Niro) and his failed attempts to connect with people while working as a taxi driver in New York. He first tries to form a relationship with a presidential campaign worker, Betsy (Cybil Shephard). When she rejects him, he becomes obsessed with Iris (Jody Foster), a child prositute and becomes determined to save her from her pimp, Mathew (Harvey Keitel). After a failed attempt to assassinate a presidential candidate, he engages in a bloody shootout, killing Mathew and one of his associates and one of Iris's clients, who turned out to be a crime lord. Iris returns to her family and Travis is hailed as a hero.