Mary Adams (Cleo Moore) is a waitress in a waterfront bar run by a man who had swindled her father years before. One night, she climbs in the man's bedroom window and steals $25,000 from under his pillow. The police arrive the next morning and, to escape pursuit and reprisal of the bar-owner, she confesses her crime. When the money is not recovered, Mary is sent to prison for five years, but earns early release for good behavior. While on parole, she gets another waterfront waitressing job. Dragomie Damitrof (Hugo Haas), the owner of this bar, is a foreign scoundrel father-figure type. Mary believes that she is being watched by the authorities still trying to recover the money, and is somewhat un-trusting of everyone.