"He was the most hated man on earth. But he could have been one of the great men in history. He was a genius." So begins the post-mortem recollections of the cast of characters that had the misfortune of crossing paths with Clementi Sabourin, a cad of such monumental proportions that only George Sanders could play him. Clementi's story plays out in a series of flashbacks, as his life story is relayed by those who knew him to the police, who are investigating his murder. Yvonne DeCarlo, Zsa Zsa Gabor (the ex-Mrs. Sanders), Nancy Gates and Coleen Gray play the eye-catching "Four beautiful reasons behind...the Death of a Scoundrel" promised by the film's poster while Sanders' sibling Tom Conway appears as Clementi's brother. Contributions from the equally celebrated James Wong Howe (cinematographer) and Max Steiner (composer) add luster to the film's pulp noir pursuit of the truth of a great man, greatly dedicated to only himself.

A powerful financier - and thorough scoundrel - is found murdered. With his dark past, there is no lack of suspects.