Barrington Hunt, Ronald Colman—a suave English thief—rendezvous with his rough American accomplice, Smiley Corbin, Warren Hymer, at a crumbling hotel in the Sahara that lies beyond the reach of French authority. Hunt is irritated to learn that Smiley, who has a weakness for women, lost the loot after chasing a dame. The target soon shifts to an elderly, blind Baron de Jonghe, Tully Marshall, a longtime hotel resident who hides a stash of stolen money. Hunt plans to uncover the money by romancing Camille, Fay Wray, de Jonghe's naïve relative.
When Smiley falls for Eliza Mowbray, Estelle Taylor, he spills the beans about the plan, and word spreads through the roomful of fugitives and murderers who inhabit the hotel. Hunt must broker a deal, promising each a share of the loot, while his own feelings complicate matters as he falls for Camille. The ever-shifting loyalties among the guests set the stage for a tense, tangled web of schemes and temptations.
The location of the money comes into sharper focus when the baron grows agitated at Hunt’s suggestion to light a fire in his in-suite fireplace. Hunt keeps this knowledge close, yet engineers Smiley’s access by having him borrow Eliza's car key. Impatience grows among the criminals, and Hunt privately proposes that the loot be divided among three partners, a plan they all reluctantly accept.
Alfred, the baron’s brother, arrives with an offer of amnesty if the money is returned. De Jonghe insists the money is rightfully his and that Camille should receive it after he is gone. The holiday mood is shattered when the baron leaves his room; Hunt slips in, searches the chimney, and locates the hidden money. He pockets the loot and replaces the box, but the baron’s suspicion is raised, and as he retrieves the box, one of the crooks shoots him and bolts—unaware the box is empty.
The crooks quickly realize Hunt has double-crossed them all. Smiley holds them at bay with his gun, while Hunt secretly frees Camille and sends her to safety with Alfred. He tells the tearful young woman that this is the first good thing he has ever done, and that she will be better off if she’s not found in the company of a wanted fugitive. Then Hunt and Smiley make their escape. On the road, Smiley presses for his share; Hunt responds with a flower, explaining that he met a “dame” and that some debts are best left behind.
> "this is the first good thing he has ever done"
