In Hollywood 1947, cartoon characters (known as "toons") regularly interact with real people and reside in the animated district of Toontown. Private detective Eddie Valiant and his brother, Teddy, once worked closely with the toons on several cases; but after Teddy was murdered by a toon, Eddie lapsed into alcoholism and developed a strong dislike of toons. One day, R.K. Maroon, head of Maroon Cartoon Studios, is concerned about the poor performance of his star Roger Rabbit. He hires Eddie to investigate rumors that Roger's voluptuous toon wife Jessica is romantically involved with famed gag maker and owner of Toontown Marvin Acme. After watching Jessica perform at the underground Ink & Paint Club, Eddie secretly takes pictures of her and Acme playing patty-cake in her dressing room. Roger is distraught by the photos and flees the studio, vowing he and his wife will be happy.