| Director | J. Lee Thompson |
|---|
A young Polish sailor, Bronislav "Bronek" Korchinsky, arrives in Cardiff, planning to propose to his girlfriend Anya, a Polish exile. However, he discovers Anya gone and finds a harbor hooker living in the flat. The landlord reveals that Anya left several weeks ago and owes back rent, even though Bronek was sending monthly payments to her. Bronek pays Anya's debts so that the landlord will give him her new address.
Meanwhile, Gillie Evans, an orphaned eleven year old tomboy who lives with her Aunt, is playing with boys at the dockside. Bronek approaches the group, seeking help in locating the address he has been given. Gillie, who lives in the same building, a seedy tenement, walks with him.
Bronek finds Anya in her new flat, but she tells him to leave. Frustrated by Bronek's long trips at sea, Anya has been seeing a married older man, a sportscaster named Barclay. Bronek, furious with jealousy, screams at her, and she pulls a gun from her dresser, but he takes the gun and shoots Anya dead. Gillie who had been playing in the staircase with a banger, hears the shouting and witnesses the murder as she peeks through the apartment door's letter box. Gillie's play with her "toy bomb" has also masked the sounds of the gun shots for the rest of the building.
Gillie sees where Bronek hides the gun, and she takes it to gain reputation among the other children. Barclay arrives to visit Anya, but, finding her dead, quickly disappears. A neighbour woman discovers the body and summons the police.
The investigating police superintendent, Graham, learns that Gillie was in the hall during the shooting and deduces that she witnessed the murder. However, Gillie, a habitual liar, gives an incorrect description of Bronek and does not tell Graham that she has the gun. Later, Bronek, who saw Gillie take the gun, chases her into the attic. He takes the gun from her, and they become friends. He agrees to take her to sea with him when he flees the country.
Bronek plans to depart the next day on a Venezuelan merchant ship, the Poloma; for the night, Gillie leads him to a hiding place in the countryside, where he entertains her by re-enacting his overseas adventures. Meanwhile, the police discover a photograph of Bronek and Anya together, sparking interest in Bronek's identity. Under police questioning Barclay admits to having visited Anya's apartment the day she was shot, making him a prime suspect.
With the Poloma set to sail, Bronek persuades Gillie to let him go alone. Bronek leaves her with his metal cigarette case. Some picnickers find Gillie at the country hideout and take her to the police, where she continues to lie, identifying Barclay as the murderer. With Barclay as the suspect, she admits that she saw the crime and re-enacts it for Graham at the apartment, but accidentally reveals that she knows the killer is Polish. She still denies knowing Bronek, but by now the police know he is the murderer. Both the police and Bronek are aware of the three-mile limit for British legal jurisdiction.
Graham drives Gillie to the pilot station at Barry Docks and takes her on a pilot boat to the Poloma as the ship approaches the boundary of territorial waters. At this point, Gillie is obviously trying to obstruct Graham's progress. When the inspector confronts Gillie and Bronek now together aboard the Poloma, they deny knowing each other. Nevertheless, Graham attempts to arrest Bronek, but the ship's captain prevents him, saying that his navigation officer has plotted Polomas position as just outside the three-mile limit, and therefore beyond the jurisdiction of the British police.
Gillie runs around on the ship trying to evade both crew and police, and falls overboard while trying to stow away on the ship in the hope of remaining with Bronek. Being the only person to see her fall, Bronek dives into the water to save her and loses his ship. The pair are rescued by the police boat sent from Barry Island. Bronek admits his guilt after Gillie hugs him, and Graham commends him for his bravery in saving her. The Poloma sails off and his chance of freedom has gone.