Led by a psychopathic killer, a vicious gang of armed robbers terrorizes Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina, robbing banks and payrolls and murdering anyone who might identify them.

During the late 1940s, a gang of armed-robbers, known as The Tri-State Gang, terrorizes banks and payroll-vans in North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland. The five members of the gang, all of whom have long police records, are George Legenza, William B. Phillips, Robert Mays, Herbie Brooks and Noyes Hinton. The gang leader, George Legenza, is particularly vicious and cold-blooded in killing robbery-witnesses as well as bank guards. During a bank robbery, a witness notices the get-away car's license-plate but only partially. The police sets-up road-blocks and verifies the identity of all persons fitting the robbers' description as well as their car's partially-known license-plate, model and color. A special police unit, led by Detective Sgt. Truscott, is tasked with apprehending the robbers. All five mobsters have girlfriends to pass their spare-time but these women are not aware of the gang's criminal activities. When one of the girlfriends, a Canadian, gets wind of these crimes, she tries to break-up her relationship with the 'boys' and run away. The gang leader, fearful of her ratting them out to the cops, doesn't hesitate to shoot her. However, she survives the shooting and is taken to the hospital where the police guard her in the hope of interrogating her. Legenza, upon finding out that she's not dead, decides to go to the hospital to finish her off. But the hospital is closely guarded by Sgt. Truscott's men and a shoot-out with Legenza ensues, followed by a car chase through the city streets and ending at the rail yard.—nufs68

George Legenza, William B. Phillips, Robert Mays, Herbie Brooks and Noyes Hinton comprise who are known as the Tri-State Gang, the three states in question being Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. Their criminal activities are primarily in the realm of bank robberies and/or robberies of institutions solely for the cash. While the members of the gang are yet unknown to the authorities - Detective Sergeant Truscott who is the lead investigator into their criminal activities - they operate in the open, i.e. without covering their faces, as they will not hesitate to eliminate anyone who can or at least threatens to identify them, which generally means once in the fold, one cannot leave the operation voluntarily. Beyond each having a criminal record and looking the part of the gangster in being well-dressed, each is different in personality, George, the leader, the most volatile in being the least hesitant to use his gun to kill. While not generally involved in their operations, most of their girlfriends know of their criminal activities, the sole exception being Bill's new bride, French-Canadian Lee Fontaine who believes she married a traveling salesman. Her entry into the group may cause some issue in placing Bill in the middle, he who vows to protect her at all cost, while George, who is attracted to her himself despite having a girlfriend, Madeline Welton, of his own, will protect the gang, but most specifically his own hide, at all cost.—Huggo