1 night at vicious hoodlum Blackie the New Orleans slums and his buddies kill an illegal immigrant who won much in a card game. Next afternoon, Dr. Clint Reed of the Public Health Service affirms the dead person had pneumonic plague. To protect against a catastrophic epidemic, Clint must find and inoculate the natives as well as their partners despite official disbelief, and in complete secrecy, lest fear empty the city. Could a doctor ? He's got 48 hrs to decide to use...