After escaping from prison, wrongfully-convicted James Lake is picked up on the highway by wealthy Leslie Whitlock. Whitlock knows the description of the fugitive prison inmate from the news bulletins from his car radio. He suspects that his passenger is the escapee but has a diabolic plan in mind: He intends to have his rich wife murdered in order to inherit her wealth but needs a patsy to take the blame. Therefore, he offers Lake $10,000 dollars to kill his wife. Lake, who is not a hardened criminal, refuses but he is blackmailed into accepting the contract by Whitlock who threatens to hand him to the police. Whitlock suggests Lake strangle his wife, take the contract money, and escape into Mexico. At the mansion, Whitlock introduces Lake to his wife Ellen as a hitchhiker who should be lodged for the night because of the bad weather, and unsuspecting Ellen offers Lake the guest room for the night. However, the police are already combing the neighborhoods and warning the residents about Lake's escape from prison. Furthermore, his escape has been quickly published in the evening newspapers. Lake's chances of escaping his predicament seem slim.—nufs68