Steve Garry, insisting he has quit gambling, asks his ex-wife Virginia Merrill if he can lie low at her Los Angeles house while avoiding testifying in a murder trial. She reluctantly consents, unsure whether she can trust him, and hides him from nosy neighbor, Phoebe.
At a market, buying Steve food and liquor, Virginia runs into a police sergeant, McCloy, who dated Dolores Alden, her former roommate. McCloy won't go away, escorting Virginia home, then making a drunken pass at her. Steve emerges from hiding and hits McCloy with a chair, accidentally killing him.
Sgt. Ed Donovan has been out looking for Steve, who is actually a suspect in that murder case coming to trial. Donovan is called to the scene when McCloy's body is found near a car that's gone off a cliff. Steve pushed it there, hoping to make it look like the cop drove drunk and caused his own death. McCloy's partner, Lou Brecker, investigates as well. Donovan finds the name of Dolores on the body and questions her, which in turns leads him to her friend, Virginia.
Steve flees, taking Virginia along by force. While avoiding roadblocks, they pull into a gas station, where Virginia leaves a note for an attendant to find. As the cops close in, Steve takes off on foot, climbing a crane and wounding Donovan with a gunshot. As he tries to descend, Steve is grabbed by Donovan and plummets to his death.
