Johnny Clay, an ex-con determined to strike it rich, has worked out a foolproof scheme to knock off a racetrack payroll. Two million bucks should be enough to last him a lifetime or two. But a two-faced dame has another idea: Let Johnny do the work, then she'll take it for herself and her boyfriend. Originally published in 1955 under the title Clean Break. Basis for the 1956 Stanley Kubrick film.