Ex-fighter Terry Malloy could have been a contender, but now toils for boss Johnny Friendly on the waterfront. Terry is guilt-stricken when he lures a rebellious worker to his death. It takes the love of Edie Doyle, the dead man's sister, to show Terry how low he has fallen. When his crooked brother, Charley the Gent, is murdered for refusing to kill him, Terry battles to crush Friendly's underworld empire.

A sheriff attempts to capture an escaped convict before a bloodthirsty mob lynches him.