Trama

A calculating divorcée risks her chances at wealth and security with a man she doesn't love by getting involved with the hotheaded murderer romancing her foster sister.

In Reno a man kills a girl he likes and her boyfriend out of jealousy; it may not be the first time. A woman whose divorce has just come through finds the bodies then decides not to become involved. The two meet next day on the train to San Francisco unaware of this link between them. They are attracted to each other, and the relationship survives his marriage to her half-sister for money and status. It even survives the woman discovering that he was the murderer, though she may not realize how easily someone who has killed this way before can do so again.—Jeremy Perkins {J-26}

A killer makes a secret tryst with his wife's foster-sister. When she learns that a detective followed her to the rendezvous she attempts to borrow money from her fiancée to bribe the detective. But her fiancée leaves her, and she then betrays the killer. But, to tidy things up for herself, before the police arrive, she tries to persuade him to kill his wife, her foster-sister.—Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>

The day after her Reno divorce is finalized, Helen Brent plans to return home to San Francisco to the home of her foster sister, Georgia Staples, who inherited all the family money, and into the arms of her wealthy, upper crust fiancé, Fred Grover. Two things that happen on that day of the divorce affect her return. First, she discovers two murdered dead bodies, about which she ultimately decides to do nothing in the negative consequences on her life if she does make a report. And second, she meets who she will eventually learn is Sam Wilde, whose slightly coarse around the edges exterior just adds to his masculine attractiveness, he who just happens to be heading to San Francisco himself on the same train as her. In their mutual attraction, he is able to infiltrate her life, regardless of his presence on her relationship with Fred. Eventually, there is indication that he is the murderer, which is indeed the case, the act all in a fit of jealousy in he taking decisive measure against anyone he feels makes him appear the fool. He, in turn, also correctly believes that he and Helen's attraction is in they being two peas in the same pod, where she is just as ruthless in wanting the world, the reason she still has Georgia, Fred and their money in her life. When Helen learns that a Reno private detective, Albert Arnett, has been hired to investigate the murders, she has to figure out how best to handle the situation to her and Sam's benefit. Thrown into the mix is Sam's best friend, Marty Waterman, the only person who truly understands Sam's disturbed mental state, and the only person who feels he can speak freely to Sam without impunity of a bullet from him.—Huggo

Upon receiving a divorce in Reno, Helen Trent (Claire Trevor) plans to return to San Francisco and goes back to the boarding house where she is renting a room from boozy landlady Mrs. Kraft (Esther Howard) but discovers two dead bodies in the kitchen. Sam Wilde (Lawrence Tierney) is the murderer and has committed the crime out of a jealous drive - one of the bodies was his girl friend Laury Palmer (Isabel Jewell) and the other a new man she was dating. Helen grabs her bags and heads for the train and coincidentally Sam does too pushed by his close friend Marty Waterman (Elisha Cook, Jr.) who stays in Reno to get details on the murder and agrees to meet Sam later. Coincidentally Sam and Helen meet on the train and are attracted to each other in part because in a casino earlier they had flirted across the Craps table. In San Francisco, Helen parts with Sam but he crashes in on her and her fiancée Fred Grover (Phillip Terry) and her half-sister Georgia Staples (Audrey Long) who has inherited a large newspaper company.

Sam sees a good thing in Grace and successfully seduces her into marrying him partly for the power her money can bring him but also to sustain the attraction he has for Helen. Mrs. Kraft hires seedy private detective Matthew Arnett (Walter Slezak) to find out who killed her good friend Laury and Arnett arrives on the wedding day of Sam and Georgia. Helen manages to leak some information to Arnett but Sam discovers this as well and gets his buddy Marty to track down Mrs. Kraft to put an end to things. But this plan goes awry when Marty stops to try to get more information from Helen and Sam perceives it as a play for Helen. Sam reacts in a jealous pique, killing Marty (and unintentionally saving Mrs. Kraft, whom Helen threatens into silence).

Helen realizes Sam must be stopped and calls Arnett to bring the police with the information he has gathered from his investigation. Sam discovers Helen's betrayal and pulls his gun just as the police arrive, resulting in a climactic shootout.