Examines the movies and artists of film noir, describing the social climate and artistic skills that contributed to the genre.

[Border incident]: The Mexico-California border is the power-keg setting for a tale of government agents versus greed and murder. [His kind of woman]: Hard-luck gambler Dan Milner is in sudden luck. He'll get $50,000 to hang out at a posh Mexican resort. $5,000 now and the big payoff when the reason he's been sent there is revealed. Of course, the gangsters making the offer don't expect him to live long enough to collect. [Lady in the lake]: Philip...