In the aftermath of a robbery gone wrong, Johnny McQueen (James Mason), leader of Irish nationalist group The Organization, caroms through nocturnal Belfast after accidentally killing a man, getting shot himself, and separating from his cohorts. He encounters all manner of good and evil in the people he meets during his search for sanctuary. The script is enhanced by heartbreaking performances from Mason and Kathleen Ryan (as Johnny’s doomed love), and Reed’s talent for capturing the paradoxical beauty of urban decay, including shots he’d replicate two years later in THE THIRD MAN.