J. Von Sternberg directed this steamy film noir centered in the Oriental port. Nick Cochran (Robert Mitchum) is fleeing the law to escape punishment for the crime he didn't commit, while singer Julie Benson (Jane Russell) works in a smuggling kingpin's club. Cochran is offered amnesty in the U.S. if he can track down the crime boss, and Benson reluctantly agrees to help. A vehicle for the sex-bomb and the beefcake turns out melodramatic at best.