Charles Rankin (Welles), responsible for unspeakable brutality in the Holocaust, is now living as a history professor in a small American town, with plans to wed Mary (Loretta Young), the daughter of a local judge. When an old comrade escapes prison and comes looking for refuge, Rankin quickly sees that it's a plot to find him and kills the man. But a wily government agent (Robinson), who was behind the set-up, fervently pursues Rankin and attempts to convince Mary of Rankin's crimes, leading to an action-packed confrontation you won't soon forget.