Charter-boat owner "Tex" Parker is framed on a murder rap by a gang of jewel-and-American currency smugglers operating from the coasts of England and France, with a mid-channel rendezvous. The smugglers use him, his boat and partner, "Soapy", to carry their goods back and forth across the English. During one of the trips, "Tex" is thrown overboard, but is picked up by a French fishing boat and the fisherman take him back to their village, Porte Soliare, where he meets Jacqueline. People who appear to be quite dead early on turn out to be not dead later on, and money and swag and goods keep changing hands with such regularity that, at one point, one guy is searching for something he already has (and doesn't know it), while another guy isn't searching for it because he thinks he has it...but doesn't.