Santa Monica in 1933. Freddie Clark looks around the streets of his hometown after being away for several years. Having been hit by the Great Depression, Santa Monica has lost its buzz as a resort town. He walks along the city streets together with his friend Steve Donovan on his way to visit the home of a client who has hired him as a bodyguard. The client is Doyle Lauren, a researcher and creator of a number of inventions. Doyle is on the verge of completing a revolutionary invention, the likes of which the world has never seen. He wants his only daughter, Kathy, protected right up until the time his research is safely completed.