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.