Deported gangland boss Nick Ferraro (Raymond Burr) has hatched a scheme to re-enter the States and take charge of his crime racket. Dan Milner (Robert Mitchum) is a professional gambler who is roughed up by Ferraro’s hoods and then offered $50,000 to leave America and head to the remote Mexican resort of Morros Lodge. En route, Milner bumps into the beautiful Lenore Brent (Jane Russell), a nightclub singer and mistress of Hollywood star Mark Cardigan (Vincent Price). As Milner settles into the rich playground of Morros Lodge, his every move is watched by Thompson (Charles McGraw), one of Ferraro’s henchmen. Realising that he may be in over his head, Milner decides to make his own enquiries as to the identity of his paymaster. But Nick Ferraro is not the type of man to be investigated.