U.S. Navy veteran Willie Hunter returns home to find that he is jobless. He soon finds temporary employment, however, when Slade, known as "The Boss," hires him to kill reform-minded newspaper publisher Dana Ferris for $10,000. To get close to Dana, Willie takes a job as an electrician on the Mexico-bound yacht on which Dana will be sailing. Before leaving port, Willie meets Dana's wife, Jenny Ferris, and his glib daughter Pat, who are brought on board by Carter Larkin. Pat is attracted to Willie and makes her best attempt to seduce him, but he shows no interest in her. While waiting for an opportunity to kill Dana, Willie overhears Larkin trying to blackmail Judy Gage, Dana's secretary, by threatening to expose her involvement in a fake securities scheme. Willie orders Larkin to leave Judy alone, after which Judy confides in Willie that she has been indicted in the past and was used as a decoy in another scheme.