During WWII the CIA hires journalist John Royer, an ex-newspaper reporter with a backhand knowledge of Malaya and a criminal named Carnaghan, doing time in Alcatraz for smuggling. Carnahan is let out of prison and they are brought together for an undercover assignment — to smuggle a large shipment of rubber hidden inside Malaya's plantations and deliver the tonnage to awaiting U.S. ships.
Since Malaya is held by the Japanese army, Carnaghan and Royer have to make their way through the jungle and are forced to deal with several unscrupulous contacts including a man calling himself The Dutchman, a helpful FBI agent named Kellar, and a sneaky Japanese officer by the name of Colonel Tomura. While taking out the last load Royer is killed and Carnahan, wounded, must finish the job.