Leo Guild is unemployed and nearly broke when he's offered employment by boxing promoter John T Stoddard. Guild, who detests boxing, finds that Stoddard isn't being entirely truthful with him. The boxer has run off due to Stoddard shorting his pay. Guild is sent to fetch him because an upcoming match is expected to make tons of money. The reason: the boxer is fighting a black opponent, and he has a reputation for killing black men in the ring - something people will travel hours to see. However, the boxing match doesn't go as planned. Not only is the boxer not killing his opponent, he looks like he's going to lose - something that the bloodthirsty crowd does not want to see.