A strange and inescapable force lures Frank Heberdon, socially prominent young lawyer, on to life of crime, and he finds his lovely rescuer in a denizen of the underworld where they join forces. The development of Frank's criminal career and the way he goes from theft and blackmail to drugs and finally murder makes as thrilling and absorbing a tale as Hulbert Footner ever wrote – with a smashing surprise at the very end.