Aging gangster Paulo Berger and his partner Walter are heads of an international gold smuggling organization with contacts in Paris, Munich, and Tokyo. Although Walter's young wife, Irène, had once been Paulo's mistress, the two men trust and admire each other. In order to pass gold bars through customs, they hire only couriers without police records. Their newest employee is Mike Coppolano, a journalist who claims to need extra money for his mistress; actually Mike is a U. S. Treasury agent investigating a possible connection between Paulo's operation and a Mafia ring supplying weapons to Cuba. Despite pressure, Paulo has managed to ward off all attempts by the Mafia to take control of his organization; but when several of his key contacts, including Walter, are killed, Paulo agrees to meet with Mafia boss Charles Binaggio. To effect his revenge, Paulo takes a time bomb with him and leaves before the explosion. Once outside, he finds the police, alerted by Mike, waiting for him. Mike apologizes for his deception and admits that he has learned to respect Paulo's unique code of honor. Paulo responds by punching Mike in the face.