The French owner of an antique shop, Desius Heiss, (Oskar Homolka) has become disillusioned with society since his torture as a prisoner on Devil's Island, since when he has allowed his shop to become a front for criminal activity, and he himself is a receiver of stolen goods.
All but a prisoner in the exotic Malayan retreat she shares with her Chinese financier husband, Yuan Sing (Paul Lukas), British singer Sadie Merivale (Kay Walsh) begins a dangerous affair with nearby plantation owner Harold Marquess (Wallace Douglas). But when Sing discovers his wife’s betrayal, he plots to regain his honor by slowly torturing her lover to death.
