 Prominent art collector Rufus Varner has bought a famous Van Houten painting, The Purple Woman, from dealer Milo Girard, but the painting may be a forgery by Aaron Hubbell, a third-rate hack. Girard s estranged wife Evelyn consults Perry Mason for protection against any involvement in the suspected fraud. To complicate matters, Evelyn is having an affair with the art critic Wayne Gordon, and Milo is having an affair with his secretary Doris Andrews. Milo is murdered, Evelyn is charged and Perry must separate the wheat from the chaff in solving the mystery.