As a photographer in "Shakedown," Howard Duff's character Jack Early (Howard Duff) is determined to rise to the top of his field. Nick Palmer (Brian Donlevy) is a notorious crime leader, and he charms him into allowing himself to be photographed by a big newspaper on the strength of his sheer perseverance. Palmer takes Early under his wing and sets him up against another criminal leader, Colton (Lawrence Tierney). However, Early decides to bite the hand that feeds him. In order to get a consistent income, he blackmails Colton with images of Palmer's wife and the photo editor of the publication he works for, while also flirting with Palmer's wife on the side.