 With the help of his new wife Anita, Joe Varnum robs luxury stores by assaulting the proprietors and injecting them with a stolen (and potent) knockout drug to ensure that he will have sufficient time to get away safely. The Highway Patrol s involvement intensifies when two of his victims die from the injections. A radio broadcast alerts the Varnums of one of the deaths and they attempt to flee the state. Dan Mathews is able to ascertain their whereabouts and eventually finds himself involved in a standoff in which Joe Varnum crassly attempts to use Anita as a shield.