In a city election, one of the candidates, Clifford Farrow, has a criminal background and is backed by crime boss Melvin Sutter. Sutter doesn't hesitate to escalate the violence in the face of any resistance.

Newsman Jeff Shannon wants to expose political corruption in his city, but backs off when his wife and son are threatened. On election day politicians try to prevent voting by broadcasting footage from the disaster film Deluge (1933) to keep everyone watching the developing (fake) story that NYC is hit by a massive tidal wave. But Shannon realizes the story is a trick.—joshua169