A young black girl falls in love with a master criminal, believing him to be a good and decent man. The criminal and his gang's many robberies leave the city gripped in terror. After the criminal calls the police to direct them to the sight of the latest robbery, a black detective finds a playing card, the ace of spades, at the scene of the crime. The detective is hopelessly in love with the girl who loves the criminal. After the detective finds another clue leading to the identification of the criminal, he informs the girl that the man she loves is a crook and a philanderer. After the criminal's wife finds a photograph of the girl in her home, she horsewhips her husband, who then beats her and leaves her to die after turning on the gas in their kitchen. The girl saves the wife, and they go to the scene of the next robbery, where the criminal and his gang are apprehended. At the trial, as he is being sentenced, the criminal escapes from the courtroom and makes a break for freedom. The stolen car in which he flees goes over a cliff, however, and carries him to a rocky death. The detective and the girl find love and happiness with each other.