plot

Wealthy and ill Leona Stevenson waits alone at home for her husband Henry. She calls his office, but the wires get crossed. She overhears a conversation of two men, which are planning to murder a woman that night. Leona is very concerned about this. But the operator can't retrack the call and the police don't have much to go on, so no one can do anything for her. Not even her father takes her seriously.

Then Leona calls Henry's secretary. In a flashback, Miss Jennings tells that Henry left the office earlier that day after having lunch with a woman named Mrs. Fred Lord.

After this Leona phones the Lord residence and overhears Henry mentioned in a talk between Fred and his colleague Joe. Fred's wife turns out to be an old friend from college, Sally Hunt.

In a flashback, Leona remembers how Henry used to be Sally's boyfriend until Leona came along. Leona's father, drugstore chain owner J.B. Cotterell, disapproved because Henry was a poor high-school dropout, but one of Leona's mysterious illness attacks changed his mind. Leona married Henry and dominated him since.

Sally gets out of the house to call Leona back, without her husband hearing her. Her husband Fred and his friend Joe are investigating Henry.

In a flashback, Sally recounts how she tailed Fred, Joe and another man named Harpootlian to a run-down house at 20 Dunstan Terrace where they met another man, Waldo Evans. Sally tried to tell Henry about that, but he was to distracted to listen to her.

Sally tells Leona 20 Dunstan was burnt down, three men were arrested, Waldo Evans escaped, and both Evans and Henry are being investigated.
Leona gets a telegram from Henry saying he won't be back for a while, because of a business trip. Then she calls her doctor, because she is afraid of being sick and alone at home. Dr. Alexander is surprised she hasn't received the letter he wrote about her diagnosis.

In a flashback, Alexander tells meeting with Henry about Leona's illness. In a flashback within a flashback, Henry tells that Leona had an attack when they fought over his looking for a new job. Henry avoided disagreeing with Leona to minimise her attacks. But they worsened anyway and she became bed-ridden. Returning to the flashback, Alexander told Henry that Leona's illness was psychosomatic and not physical.

Leona doesn't believe Dr. Alexander. She is very confused. Then Waldo Evans calls her with a message for Henry.

In a flashback, Evans tells, that he worked as a chemist for the Cotterell company. Henry approached him with the idea of stealing drugs from the company and selling them with the help of a gangster named Morano. Evans stored and sold drugs at 20 Dunstan. Henry and Evans tried to cut Morano out of the business but Morano found out. Morano blackmailed Henry, who planned to get the required money by killing Leona for her insurance money.

Evans tells Leona he burnt down 20 Dunstan after someone betrayed the whole operation. Henry won't need to raise the money since Morano has been arrested by the police.

Someone breaks into the house and Leona hears him. Henry calls her and calm her down. Leona repeats the message from Evans. Henry confesses and urges Leona to get out of bed and save herself. Leona insists she's ill and cannot do that.
The killer murders her as a train goes by, drowning out her scream. At the end Henry is arrested by the police.

phone in Henrys office


Joe and Fred are investigating against Henry


Sally and Leona are fighting about Henry


Leona has an attack


meeting place (run-down beach house)


Leona can`t leave her bed anymore


Henry needs the help of Waldo


Morano blackmails Henry and Waldo


Leona just before her death