The novel follows the story of Pinkie Brown, a young gang leader in the seaside town of Brighton. The novel opens with journalist Fred Hale being hunted by Pinkie's gang after writing an article that led to the death of their former leader, Kite. Pinkie's gang murders Hale, but Ida Arnold, a curious bystander who had briefly met Hale, becomes determined to investigate his death.
Pinkie begins a relationship with Rose, a naive waitress, to prevent her from talking to the police after she finds evidence linking his gang to Hale's murder. Despite being Catholic, Pinkie is morally corrupt and plans to marry the underage Rose to keep her silent, even considering killing her in a faked suicide pact.
As Ida's investigation closes in on Pinkie, he grows increasingly desperate, murdering another member of his gang and attempting to flee with Rose. In the climax, Ida and the police confront Pinkie on a cliff, where he blinds himself with vitriol before falling to his death, unable to escape his guilt.

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