When Charlie, a casino-owning dog, is assassinated by his rival Carface, he finds himself in Heaven almost by default, as all dogs do. However, in order to exact revenge on his killer, he connives his way back to life, despite the warning that doing so will damn him to Hell. When he returns, he hooks up with his former accomplice Itchy to plan his retribution. He also meets an orphan girl who has the ability to communicate with animals, which enables him to obtain insider information about races in order to assure his victories and finance his schemes. He is, however, tortured by nightmares of what awaits him on the other side unless he can once again demonstrate his deserving of Heaven.