Desius Heiss is the French-born owner of an antique shop on Sly Corner who bears a grudge against society. His imprisonment and torture on Devil s Island has left the scars of repeated whippings down his back. With little care for the authorities, Heiss has allowed his shop to become a centre of criminal activity and has a secret career as a receiver of stolen goods. His beloved daughter, Margaret, knows nothing of her father s criminal activities. But when the antique shop s assistant, Archie Fellowes (Kenneth Griffith), discovers the trade in stolen goods, he blackmails Heiss. Desperate to keep his criminal activities a secret from his daughter, Heiss decides to silence his blackmailer.