Coldhearted and conniving financier Horace Vendig (Zachary Scott), who's built up a false reputation as a respectable philanthropist, will stop at absolutely nothing to acquire more money, even if it means ruining the lives of his closest friends and lovers. Presented in flashbacks, director Edgar G. Ulmer's film traces Horace's shameful quest for wealth and uncovers what drove him to become so unscrupulous.