Ed Martin witnesses a murder at the hotel. Although the perpetrator is caught, he had previously taken papers from the victim's bag that prove a criminal connection between politicians and gangsters. The murderer's silence is bought with his release. But as the case has stirred up too much dust, a new perpetrator has to be found: Ed Martin, who witnessed everything. Beaten half to death, he confesses to the crime, but later recants. In the meantime, he has also found friends who want to defend him. Then he is found dead in his cell. The police who hanged him claim suicide.