Silent film noir set in the 1920s in post-WW1 Germany. Dr Mabuse (Rudolph Klein-Rogge) is a sinister and mesmerising criminal with the ability to worm his way into the confidences of the rich and influential, and wield his power over men and women alike. He builds up a deadly gang of counterfeiters, thieves and murderers who will do anything for him, and aims to gain control of the stock market through his hypnotic methods of theft and blackmail. His dastardly methods are so successful that he is gradually taking over the whole of Berlin... until he comes up against the plodding and methodical Detective Wrenk, whose subconscious seems to be less easily won over.