In Fritz Lang's first American film, a young engaged couple, Joe (Spencer Tracey) and Katherine (Sylvia Sydney), are saying a sad good bye, parting for as long as it will take them to save up enough money to start a life together. Eventually the day arrives when the two are to be reunited, but en-route to see Katherine, Joe is picked up by an ornery police officer in search of a kidnapper. Among bizarre extenuating circumstances and circumstantial evidence, all signs point to Joe as the culprit, and he is immediately taken to jail. The news of the kidnapper's capture spreads quickly through town, and soon an angry mob gathers outside the jail. The mob quickly becomes violent and burns down the jail with Joe apparently inside. Shortly thereafter, the real kidnapper is captured, and the local citizens fall under the scrutiny of the law, which accuses them of Joe's murder. Lang's favorite themes-- media and the masses--come to play as the film follows the strange story to its unusual and astonishing conclusion. Stunning visuals and a crisp narrative combine to create an aura of paranoia and madness, as each character is forced to confront his own morality.