Flicker Hayes (James Cagney), recently sprung from jail, is out for himself and out for revenge. After springing a setup on his former cronies, Flicker takes it on the lam with a pair of triggermen in pursuit. Hiding out in San Francisco, Flicker encounters Rose (Joan Blondell), a destitute ex-prostitute in desperate straits. Using Rose as a cover, Flicker escorts her to the remote coastal town to the south where her fiancé, Nick (Victor Jory), a fisherman, lives. Charmed by the town and its inhabitants, Flicker decided to stay a spell, to Rose's dismay. Torn between the decent Nick and the roguish Flicker, Rose's situation is complicated by the arrival of a pair of Flicker's associates, who come to call on her wedding day.