Old friends Chuck and Ferdie work at a gas station. By chance, their paths cross with those of Moose, a gangster on the run from the police, who, however, is soon killed. As a token of gratitude for staying with him until the end, the gangster manages to hand them papers certifying ownership of his old mansion—the house where the gangster had hidden his loot. However, besides Chuck and Ferdie, other claimants to the money also appear.

Peggy, who has recently been released from a psychiatric hospital, is attacked by a stranger who tries to strangle her. Her young husband, Robert, refuses to believe what has happened and takes her to the village where he works as a schoolteacher. But even there, Peggy cannot find peace; she feels as though she is being watched, and soon the attack happens again.

The postwar years. Police officer Goro Murakami has his gun stolen on a bus. In his search for the missing weapon, he is forced to visit many parts of Tokyo, including secret hideouts, slums, and vacant lots. Meanwhile, several murders are committed using the stolen gun.