An up-and-coming Dutch painter living in London, Jan (Kruger) rushes to a rendezvous with an older woman, only to be met by a no-nonsense police detective (Baker) who accuses Jan of murder. As Jan tells his story in flashback, the detective comes to understand the artist as an innocent led astray by the corrupting influences of wealth and power, and even to identify with him, given the working class background both men share. As with so many of Losey's first films in England, genre (the whodunit, in this case) is made to serve as a vehicle for trenchant social critique. As the tough but shrewd detective, remarkable Welsh actor Stanley Baker gives his first of four gripping performances for Losey.