A prolog depicts the Biblical stories from Exodus: the ill-treatment of the Jews by the Egyptians; their escape across the parted water of the Red Sea; the presentation to Moses of the Ten Commandments; Moses finding the Israelites worshipping the golden calf; and his breaking of the tablets. Main Story: The remainder of the film takes place in modern-day San Francisco. Two brothers, John and Dan McTavish, love Mary Leigh. She chooses Dan, who becomes a wealthy building contractor by using inferior materials and bribing the building inspector, Redding. This is the beginning of his downfall, ending in his death when he is crushed on the rocks in a motorboat accident. Before his death, Dan kills Sally Lung, his Asian mistress, while trying to obtain bribe money and then discovers that he may have contracted leprosy from her. Drunk and panicstricken, Dan takes the fatal boatride. Mary weds John.