Another of the "Fate and Irony" films from director-writer-producer-actor Hugo Hass but this one has less hair-shirt torment than most of his offerings, although his camera, as usual, lingers provocatively on the contours of the leading lady and, in this case, the leading lady is more than well-contured. Mary Adams (the well-contured Cleo Moore) works in a tawdry waterfront restuarant where the owner not only maltreats her, he also cheated her father out of a fortune years ago. The owner acquires $25,000 in an illegal transaction, which Mary promptly steals, hides, confesses her crime and serves a short sentence. Freed, she goes to work in a restaurant owned by Dragomie Damitrod (Hugo Hass) and when he gets into trouble over a gambling debt she offers to help him by telling him where the $25,000 is hidden and she will loan him the amount he needs. But circumstances indicate that he has stolen all of the money and she clouts him on the head with a whiskey bottle, apparently killing him. She then learns that he didn't steal the money, digs it up and donates it to an orphanage and then surrenders to the police where she learns that Damitrod is not dead. Well,dang. But all is not lost as she seems to be heading for matrimony with fisherman Johnny (Glenn Langan), who has been hanging around romancing her at her various jobs between jail stints.

Waitress Mary Adams works at a waterfront diner for her father's aging former business partner, Gregory Stark. Mary resents Stark for using her youth and good looks to lure sailors to the diner and also holds Stark responsible for her father's financial ruin and early demise. One evening after witnessing another of the old man's after hours illegal dealings, Mary steals his entire savings of $25,000. The next day when Stark brings the police to Mary's room, she freely admits taking the money, but refuses to divulge where it is hidden. Upon arrest, Mary signs a confession admitting her guilt and at her trial is sentenced to one to ten years in prison. During the next year in jail, Mary is a model prisoner, and the appreciative warden offers her a choice of prison work. Mary chooses gardening and is befriended by the aging prison gardener, with whom she works for the next two years. Because of her continued good behavior and the intervention of Father Benedict, Mary is allowed an early parole and is placed on probation for the duration of her sentence. Upon returning to the waterfront and Stark's, Mary discovers that his shady dealings forced him to leave town and the diner is now run by bon vivant Dragomie Damitrof. Damitrof hires Mary as a waitress, despite the protests of his girl friend Judy, known as Smooch. On her first evening working, Johnny, a young fisherman, flirts with Mary, and later, when he follows her from the diner, Mary reluctantly allows him to walk her home. When Johnny reveals that his fishing business would increase substantially if he could only afford a new boat, Mary, who has hidden Stark's money before her arrest, considers lending him the money for a percentage of his profits. Several nights later at the diner, Mary watches in amazement as Damitrof, caught in a streak of bad luck, loses a large amount of money while gambling at cards. Later, Mary offers to lend Johnny the money for a new boat and he agrees. Arriving at her apartment, Mary realizes she has left her keys at the diner and returns to find Damitrof distraught at having lost the entire business and all his savings in the card game. Further, Damitrof frets at having written a bad check to cover his debt and fears going to jail. Mary admits she stole Stark's money and offers to lend Damitrof the amount to cover the check, as he has always treated her fairly. Damitrof vows not to give her away and Mary reveals where she has buried the $25,000. After Damitrof departs, Mary spends the next few hours worrying about whether her trust in him was misguided, but at sunrise he returns. Damitrof angrily describes spending hours digging at the location without finding the tin box with the money. Believing Mary has purposely lied to him, Damitrof fires her and throws her out. Stunned, Mary spends the next few days withdrawn in her room, until Johnny stops by and leaves a message that Damitrof's is under new management. Mary goes to the diner and learns that Damitrof had abruptly come into a large amount of money and upgraded the diner and hired a new manager. Certain that Damitrof has fooled her and is now living off her stolen money, Mary goes to his swank new apartment and watches from outside as Smooch and Damitrof throw a cocktail party. Later that night, when Damitrof passes out in a drunken stupor and his guests leave, Mary sneaks into the apartment to confront him. Trying to rouse him, Mary shakes him and he gropes at her. Frightened, Mary grabs an empty champagne bottle and strikes Damitrof on the head as Smooch comes out of the back room. When Smooch accuses Mary of killing Damitrof, Mary protests that he stole her money and Smooch reveals that Damitrof won back the diner and his money by gambling again. Mary flees and goes to the location of the buried money and finds several holes proving Damitrof's story. Recalling that the prison gardener once told her that tree roots can dislocate everything in their path, she begins digging and soon discovers the tin box full of money. Dismayed, Mary takes the money to the Sacred Heart Orphanage, then turns herself in to the police. When she declares she has murdered Damitrof, the officer calls Damitrof's apartment and finds the diner owner alive with a slight headache. Mary dashes back to the orphanage only to see a nun discovering the tin box. Resigned, Mary walks down to the waterfront where she runs into Damitrof, who apologizes for being angry with her and offers to rehire her. After she accepts, Johnny calls to her from his aging little boat, and Mary agrees to spend the day sailing with him.