George Watson may seem like a harmless gas-station attendant, but in reality he is a secret government agent, intent on ferreting out a gang of smugglers on the Mexican border.

Brent Brewster, formerly a Yale athlete known for his pole vaulting prowess, is unsuccessful in business. When his wealthy relatives send him out to fend for himself, Brent joins a detective agency. After Craig Lansing, a family friend, hires Brent to investigate the numerous jewel thefts in Poughkeepsie, Brent works undercover at Lansing's house party and recognizes Captain Drake, an English crook. Although Brent temporarily forgets detective work when he meets Ann, the beautiful sister of Lansing's wife Ruth, Ann's remark that $40,000 a year would be enough for her to live on brings Brent back to the job.

Billy Barnes gets into trouble over a practical joke on a golf course and ends up in jail, despite his high social standing. But he manages to redeem himself with the help of a jewel thief he befriends in jail.