San Francisco, 1908. After a catastrophic earthquake and fire, the devastated city is rapidly rebuilding its structures, spirit, and vitality. It is proudly called the New San Francisco. But there are still parts of San Francisco that haven't changed, including the Barbary Coast, where a crimp, padfoot, or murderous thug could be waiting around the next corner. And the city is still infected with anti-Asian racism and widespread political corruption. Into this "new" San Francisco, William Dunbar returns to avenge a brutal family murder that he believes occurred at exactly the time of the quake. As a writer of scenarios for one-reel motion pictures, he plans to use his craft to reveal the killer's guilt. However, he soon finds the odds are against him when he confronts much darker dangers than those of the Barbary Coast.