Rick Mason is the no-good lowdown rat who tries to capitalize on postwar patriotism and grief. He finagles a war widow into giving up her savings for a nonexistent memorial. When Mason falls in love with the widow he has pangs of conscience, but he reckons without his con-artist boss, who tends to bolster his arguments with muscle and bullets.

John Payne
as Rick Mason

Joan Caulfield
as Deborah Owens Clark

Dan Duryea
as Silky Randall

Shelley Winters
as Tory

Dorothy Hart
as Madeline

Richard Rober
as Max

Dan O'Herlihy
as Duke

Nicholas Joy
as Walter Vanderline

Percy Helton
as Charlie Jordan

Walter Greaza
as Mr. Owens
CinemaSerf
Poor old war widow "Deb" (Joan Caulfield) is hoodwinked into donating her savings to build a memorial to her late husband by the sharp "Rick" (John Payne). It turns out that there is no such edifice, but "Rick" isn't able to be quite as cold and calculating as usual. He starts to fall for this digni...