It is to Tangier that Dr Leighton, a specialist in the treatment of drug addiction, has brought Danny; she is in the last stages of this terrible disease. A woman who was once full of charm and vitality, she is now a wreck scarcely conscious of her surroundings, and trying to forget it was the murder of her child which brought her to Tangier to wait for death. Dr Leighton, who is deeply attached to her, has tried in vain to cure her; for watch over her as he may she is still obtaining the drugs for which she craves. He is willing to wait patiently with her for the end, but his daughter, Lucetta, longs to leave her convent school and embark on the exciting travels together that he once promised her. When an American, Vin Loder, dines with them she sees in him the chance to escape but discovers that it is Danny whom he has come to find. The father of Danny's child, he still loves her and believes that if he can take her back to America she will be cured, but Dr Leighton disillusions him. He insists on staying in Tangier with Danny and promises to enliven Lucetta's exile - together they talk on the roof of the house, but when Lucetta drops her bag and spills the contents, Dr Leighton discovers in her compact the secret of who is still trying to destroy Danny with heroin.