Eddie, a muscular circus performer, catch one night a burglar. It is Paul who is stealing from his wealthy sister Eveline. He needs money for his opium abuse, caused by the unscrupulous dealer Van Straaten.
Balzac adaptation: Escaped convict moves into a brothel where he becomes father to a boy. But his advantageous position is eventually threatened by one of the whores who has fallen in love with the convict's grown up son.
