Based on W. E. Woodward's novel and very similar to the 1934
film Evelyn Prentice, the wife of a lawyer shoots a blackmailer
and gets her husband to defend the wife.
Skillful defense lawyer Tyler Flagg (Walter Pidgeon) works overtime
to find a doubt from doctors who treated the victim and manages
to get publicity-seeking Barbara Winter (Rita Johnson) acquitted.
Tyler wants to spend time with his wife Elizabeth Flagg (Virginia
Bruce) and his daughter Susan (Ann E. Todd) but goes to Boston
on an important case. On the train he finds Barbara in his compartment
wanting to thank him. He spanks her, but she is still not discouraged.
Elizabeth goes to a nightclub with her friend Jo Brennan (Ilka
Chase), and assertive Michael McLain (Lee Bowman) dances with
her. Feeling neglected by her husband, Jo makes a date for Elizabeth
with Michael, and he takes pictures. Elizabeth receives a watch
belonging to Barbara the train company sends back to Tyler. Michael
has an argument with his poor working wife Eva McLain (Ann Dvorak)
over his lying about another woman, but he makes up with her.
Tyler tells Elizabeth he is taking her and Susan to Europe.
Elizabeth gets a note that Michael is sailing on the same boat,
and she goes to his apartment to discourage him. He shows her
four notes she wrote him and demands $4,000 for them so she will
not be exposed in the divorce his wife wants. Elizabeth finds
a gun and shoots after Michael hits her. She takes the letters
and leaves quickly. Jo tells Elizabeth that Michael was killed,
and his wife has been accused. Elizabeth admits to Jo that she
shot Michael. Elizabeth urges her husband Tyler to defend Eva,
because she can't afford a good lawyer. Tyler questions Eva in
jail and takes her case. At home he interviews a witness, who
says she saw someone like Elizabeth leaving the apartment. Tyler
has his assistant Jerry Brody (Richard Lane) check photographs
Michael took, and he eventually finds one in the camera which
blown up looks like Elizabeth. During the prosecutor's closing
remarks, Elizabeth suddenly comes forward and testifies that she
shot Michael once when he hit her and then left. However, Tyler
cross-examines Eva again, and she admits she fired a second shot
that killed Michael. Tyler argues that she acted out of self-defense
too, and she is acquitted.
This uneven drama has poetic justice in that the conniving
blackmailer is the only one badly hurt. A secondary theme is that
this successful lawyer is so fascinated with his work that he
has little time left for his family.