John Mitchell is a powerful and ruthless newspaper publisher, who doesn't care who gets hurt if a good story can run in his paper. Caught speeding, by honest cop Terry Condon, his first impulse is to have him broken, but he's talked into having him commended instead by his daughter, Joan Mitchell. Another man, Dan Oliver, is found by a reporter to have embezzled money, though is quietly paying it back, but Mitchell cares not, and spills all in his newsrag, so Oliver is ruined, and jailed. At his sentencing, Oliver produces a gun, and gets away. Later Joan tries to help Oliver's girl Mary by moving her to a new apartment, but the now crazed Oliver misunderstands, shoots Joan's Boyfriend dead and stages it to look like she'd done it. With her on trial for murder, John Mitchell is finally faced with just what his lack of compassion has wrought.