Thieves' Highway (1949)

Former soldier Nick Garcos returns home from the war in a happy mood bearing gifts for his parents, Yanko and Parthena Garcos with enough money in his pocket to open a business and marry his girlfriend, Polly Faber. Shortly after arriving home, Nick discovers that his father has lost both legs. Yanko, who was a truck driver, says that he was cheated by produce dealer Mike Figlia in a San Francisco market when he delivered a truckload of tomatoes but was not paid. He believes that his "accident" was caused by Figlia's gangsters. Yanko also says that he then sold the truck to a driver named Ed Kinney who has not yet paid him for it. Nick meets Ed and says that he will take back the truck, but Ed proposes a deal hauling apples as a team where they may earn a great amount of money. Nick invests his savings in another truck and buys apples from a Polish farmer. They need to drive directly to the market in San Francisco without sleeping to keep the fruit fresh; but Ed's truck has a problem with its axle and Nick arrives first. Mike Figlia hires an Italian whore named Rica to distract Nick, but she falls for him and tells him that Mike is stealing his cargo. Mike is forced to share his earnings with Nick who makes a large profit. Then Nick calls Polly and asks her to meet him to get married. Rica tells Nick that Polly is only interested in his money. When Nick is robbed by Mike's gangsters, he learns who really loves him. But Nick still has to settle the score with Mike.