Cold and calculating mastermind Victor Poten (Bela Lugosi) disguises his henchmen as Chinese gangsters and sends them to Chinatown to wreak havoc. Hired by the stunning dragon lady Sonya Rokoff (Luana Walters), Poten aims to shut down the business district. Their plans threaten to unravel when the reporter Joan Whiting (Joan Barclay) sets out to break the story, aided by the novelist Martin Andrews (Herman Brix). Enraged at the interference, Poten attempts to destroy his enemies through kidnapping, torture and murder while framing Andrews for the crimes. Abandoned by his allies and consumed with hatred, Poten engulfs the whole of Chinatown in an all-out war.