Side Street Story

Joe steals what he thinks is a small amount, but he ends up taking $30,000 from Victor Backett, a corrupt attorney. He rationalizes the risk to provide for his pregnant wife Ellen. This act sets off a dangerous chain of events that pulls him into Backett's world of crime.

Backett, aided by Lucille Colner and ex-con Georgie Garsell, engineers a framing scheme to squeeze money from Emil Lorrison by promoting a phony sex scandal. They twist the guilt with the help of Lucille's love diary. Joe's theft becomes the seed that fuels Backett's plan.

Panicked, Joe tells Ellen the money came from a legitimate out-of-town job and disguises the cash as a package entrusted to bartender Nick Drumman. He hides the bundle and tries to keep it out of sight while threats loom. This move drags Drumman into the danger he did not seek.

Lucille Colner’s body is found in the East River, triggering a New York police investigation led by Captain Walter Anderson. Lorrison and Backett are questioned after Lucille's diary ties them to the affair. The case widens as suspicion falls on everyone connected to the money.

After the birth of his son, Joe attempts to return the cash to Backett, but Backett refuses and sends Garsell and a taxi driver to recover it. The tactic escalates the danger, and Joe becomes a suspect in the attempted repayment. He must stay one step ahead as the net tightens.

Drumman is revealed to have swapped the cash with a nightgown in the package and goes into hiding with the money. Garsell tracks him down, strangles him, and recovers the cash. The pursuit tightens as a web of deception closes in on Joe.

Joe confesses the original theft to Ellen, who urges him to surrender to the police. She warns that keeping the money will only deepen the trouble and endanger their family. Meanwhile, Joe is now suspected in Drumman's murder.

Captain Anderson pursues Garsell for Lucille's murder and Joe for Drumman's, while Joe scrambles to find the money's source to clear himself. The investigation threads through crowded streets and backroom deals as Anderson closes in. Joe follows leads, trying to stay ahead of both the law and the criminals.

Joe locates Garsell's girlfriend Harriet Sinton, hoping she can reveal the cash's whereabouts, but she betrays him to Garsell. The betrayal heightens danger and complicates Joe's attempts to clear his name. The chase tightens as both sides race toward dawn.

Garsell murders Harriet to silence her as a witness, removing a crucial link in Joe's defense. Captain Anderson continues the pursuit through the early hours of the morning. The city wakes to a tense, unfolding confrontation.

Captain Anderson closes in as the chase threads through the early-morning streets. Garsell shoots the taxi driver's attempt to surrender and forces Joe to drive the cab. The pursuit becomes a dangerous cat-and-mouse through New York dawn.

Joe crashes the taxi on purpose to escape from Garsell. Garsell staggers from the wreck and is killed in a gunfight with police. The chase ends as dawn breaks over the city, with chaos giving way to aftermath and arrest.

Ellen arrives at the crash site and finds Joe seriously injured but alive; she embraces him as officers load him into an ambulance. Her presence offers a fragile moment of solace amid the chaos and impending charges. The couple's fate hangs on the hospital curtain as the city continues to wake.