A mob war between crime bosses Rupert Thorne and Arnold Stromwell is nearing its end, and comes to a climax when Stromwell is set up to be killed in an exploding restaurant by Thorne. Batman saves him at the last moment, and aided by Stromwell's brother (now a priest who lost his leg years before, an accident for which Stromwell carries a secret guilt), tries to persuade him to give up his life of crime and help the police bring Thorne down by testifying against him.