Roger Durette, the owner of a large commercial photography studio, is found murdered in a Chicago parking lot. Rick Peters, a photographer at the studio, had just argued violently with him about taking nude photos of Denise Straus, a young woman whom Peters had recently met and liked. Sergeant Matthews of the Chicago Police Department launches a tireless, sadistic pursuit of Peters to pin the murder on him. The two have a past. Matthews once attempted to arrest Peters for manslaughter in the death of a young woman killed in an automobile accident. This time, Matthews is determined to send Peters to prison whether he killed Durette or not. Peters and Straus fall in love and, threatened by Matthews’ relentless brutality, attempt to escape to New York City. But Matthews will stop at nothing, including murder, to get Peters.