Tom Walker is a miserly man who is constantly fighting with his equally greedy wife over money and possessions. One day, while walking through a swamp near Boston, he meets the Devil, referred to as Old Scratch. The Devil reveals that the infamous pirate Kidd had buried treasure in the swamp, and offers to give it to Tom in exchange for his soul.

Initially, Tom refuses the deal to spite his wife, who wants him to accept it. However, when his wife goes to the swamp to seek the treasure herself and disappears, Tom assumes she took the treasure and goes looking for her. He finds only her apron with her heart and liver inside, realizing the Devil took her soul.

Seeing this, Tom finally agrees to the deal with the Devil for the buried pirate treasure. He becomes a wealthy money-lender in Boston, though he refuses the Devil's suggestion to outfit a slave ship, as he won't become a slave trader. Despite his efforts to avoid paying his debt, the Devil eventually comes for Tom's soul, dragging him to hell on a black horse.

Developed by Perplexity AI