A wealthy but neurotic Southern belle finds herself trapped in the hideout of a gang of vicious bootleggers. The gang's leader lusts after her, and is determined not to let anything stand in the way of his having her.

Temple Drake is a Southern belle who leads men on with her sexuality but usually leaves them wanting. She's loved by lawyer Stephen Benbow, whom she likes but doesn't love. While out carousing with one of her beaux, she finds herself stranded with a gang of bootleggers, one of whom, Trigger, rapes her and makes her his sex slave. When another man is accused of a murder Trigger committed, Stephen defends him and sets out to find Trigger. But he isn't prepared for whom he finds with Trigger, or what she's become.—Jim Beaver <[email protected]>

Respected Judge Drake dotes on his granddaughter, Temple Drake, who he believes does no wrong. He wants public defender Stephen Benbow to marry Temple. Despite the salacious rumors of Temple's carousing--which he doesn't believe but are nonetheless true--Stephen loves Temple and has asked her to marry him several times; she always turns him down to continue to carouse with any man who has enough money to keep her happy. One stormy evening when she is off with one of those men, Toddy Gowan, they end up stranded at the secret out-of-the-way den of a bunch of bootleggers led by the vicious Trigger. When Toddy abandons her in this situation, for the first time in her life Temple is scared for her safety. An incident with Trigger threatens to ruin Temple's reputation for good if word got out. When one of the bootleggers is murdered and another is accused of the crime, Stephen is assigned to defend him. Temple must decide how best to save herself and Stephen, while Stephen must decide which is more important: his love for temple or his sense of public justice.—Huggo