Dan (Mickey Rooney) is an ingenuous mechanic who thinks he is irresistible to women. When he falls for a beautiful blonde named Vera, he promises to wine and dine her, but lacks the funds to fulfill his pledge. Desperate, he steals $20 from the shop's register, thinking he can replace it before the shortage is discovered. When he comes up short it precipitates his steady descent into a sordid life of crime. The magnificent Peter Lorre co-stars in this dark classic.