At a gloomy fair, Stanton 'Stan' Carlisle, fleeing from his past, finds shelter and soon learns the tricks of the showmen. Through his talent for wrapping people around their fingers, the mentalist couple Zeena & Pete takes him under their wing. Stan becomes a skilful rascal who can deliberately manipulate others. The small world of the fair is soon no longer enough for him and he goes to the big city, where he soon uses his skills not only for entertainment, but for his personal advantage. When he gets to the psychiatrist Lilith Ritter with his scam, she doesn't let him be exposed, but helps him. But it becomes more and more apparent that Lilith is even more dangerous than Stan. For the hardened trickster, a game begins in which he soon seems to lose control. The 1947 remake of »The Charlatan« is based on William Lindsay Gresham's novel of the same name.