This loose adaptation of the Victor Hugo classic shifts the story to Italy and back in time, with the deformed protagonist meeting Lucrezia Borgia instead of Queen Anne. Also, Gwynplaine is renamed Angelo (Jean Sorel) with his disfigurement represented by a single broad slash across his mouth, crude yet convincing. The story (not credited to Hugo) is a swashbuckler pitting the disfigured acrobat against the henchmen of the Borgias.

A Southern Colonel, his three sons, and a card shark embark on an odyssey through the Southwest carrying a coffin full of stolen money with which the Colonel plans to revive the Confederacy.

A famous surgeon earns enormous amounts of money by speculating on patients, although he is generally considered a great man and an excellent doctor. Only one of his colleagues rebels against the situation and tries to reveal the truth. But during a dramatic operation, the famous surgeon forces him to turn accomplice and the doctor must keep quiet. Not for long, however.