Paul Bacon, ex-Navy boxer and fun-loving, Jazz-Age fashion plate, moved to 1920s California for the endless sunshine, oranges, and bright, white beaches. But all he finds is loneliness and misery in the chilly, fog-choked canyons of San Francisco.

One night, homesick and miserable, he meets, and falls for, Molly Carver, a mysterious beauty who lures him on a romantic weekend escapade across the Bay to her hometown of Evansville. There, she promises, he will find the California promised by the travel brochures.

Molly’s promise turns out to be camouflage for a...