When fate offers Gus Freeman a helping hand, in the shape of a large diamond deposited in his begging cap, he grabs the opportunity to try and use it to climb out of the gutter. But possession of the gemstone will change his life in ways he could not possibly have imagined.He becomes a fugitive, both from the police and a gang of diamond thieves. The gang is led by a psychotic killer, who will stop at nothing to see that Freeman is disposed of before he can act as witness against him.