Somewhere in the Night

In the final weeks of World War II, a severely wounded Marine wakes with amnesia in a U.S. military field hospital. He discovers an unsigned letter cursing him for an unspecified wrong. Deciding to hide his memory loss, he resolves to uncover his true identity.

After he regains a semblance of health, he returns to Los Angeles and finds a note in his old briefcase indicating a bank account opened in his name by a friend named Larry Cravat. He becomes determined to locate Cravat to learn who he really is. He chooses to keep his amnesia secret while he investigates.

Taylor goes to The Cellar nightclub to search for Cravat. While questioning patrons, two thugs spot him and he escapes into the dressing room of singer Christy Smith. There he finds a postcard addressed to Christy from a woman named Mary announcing Cravat's impending marriage.

Taylor returns to The Cellar after a bartender's tip but is ambushed by the thugs. Anzelmo, a gangster, brutalizes him to reveal Cravat's whereabouts, and then dumps him at Christy's apartment. There Taylor begins to open up about his amnesia to Christy.

Christy explains that Cravat left Mary at the altar, and Mary later died in a street accident. Taylor confides his amnesia to Christy and explains he's searching for Cravat to understand his past. The conversation deepens their uneasy alliance.

Christy introduces Taylor to Mel Phillips, who arranges a meeting with police lieutenant Donald Kendall to discuss Cravat. Taylor adopts a protective alias for the interview to keep his identity hidden. Kendall recounts a decades-old case of Nazi money and Cravat's suspected role in stealing it and murdering its carrier.

Kendall explains that a Nazi official sent two million dollars to the U.S. for safekeeping during the war. The money circulated through several hands until it ended up in Los Angeles; Cravat is accused of stealing the money and killing its carrier. The police note that Taylor's recent actions have revived the Cravat case.

A note on Christy's car leads Taylor to Terminal Dock, where a fortune teller—Anzelmo—is also hunting Cravat. Anzelmo reveals that the original carrier was a man named Steele and that a dockworker named Michael Conroy witnessed Cravat and Steele with the money. Anzelmo accuses Taylor of being the missing third man and threatens to frame him.

Taylor tracks Conroy to a sanatorium, where the dying witness reveals that a suitcase containing the money was hidden under Terminal Dock after Steele's murder. Conroy dies before naming the suitcase's owner or Steele's killer. Taylor realizes the scope of the conspiracy and resolves to recover the money.

A note on Christy’s car leads Taylor to Terminal Dock, where they recover the $2 million and clothing bearing Cravat's name. Taylor realizes he is Cravat and that he secretly joined the Marines to hide from his past. He shows the unsigned letter to Christy, who confirms it was written by Mary.

Taylor and Christy are shot at by an unseen assailant and take refuge in a soup kitchen. The manager agrees to deliver the suitcase to Kendall, keeping the money safe for the moment. This becomes a turning point as they plan to outmaneuver Anzelmo and Phillips.

Anzelmo confronts them and demands to meet Cravat, but Phillips arrives and helps them escape to The Cellar. Phillips confesses that he had previously laundered the Nazi money and that Cravat duped him by posing as Phillips and taking the money. He explains that Conroy was murdered and a dock gunman followed Taylor.

Kendall appears at the Soup Kitchen and shoots Phillips to disable him. Phillips is hospitalized and confesses the full story to the police, including Cravat's role and Conroy's murder. Anzelmo's crew is arrested, clearing Taylor and Christy to start a new life.

With the case resolved, Taylor and Christy decide to start anew away from danger. They plan a future together, having embraced their identities and the money's fate. The two move forward, hopeful for peace.