One night petty crook Sam Harris sees some strange happenings concerning a bald-headed man and a black leather case. Two men and a rough dolly treat Sam's intervention with scant respect, but Sam gets his hands on the case and finds it has money and some highly interesting papers inside. He decides to cash in on his luck which brings him into sharp conflict with a certain Doctor Aristide Apian. The body of the bald-headed man is found, hideously tortured, and soon both the police and Dr Apian are looking for Sam, who regrets he ever set eyes on the black leather case.