 Walter Prescott tries to extort all his wife Ruth s money to give her a divorce. As she leaves, a truck almost runs her down, instead crashing into a car and injuring the passenger, a man named Walden. The truck driver, Harry Jonson, and Prescott drive Walden to the hospital. Meanwhile, Ruth goes to Jimmy McLain s apartment where she finds an empty shoulder holster. She rushes back home to find Prescott dead and her pet canary injured. She burns some love letters, takes a gun from the floor and is discovered by Margaret Swaine, Walter s secretary. Ruth consults Perry Mason and is later charged with Prescott s murder. After Walden is found murdered, Perry must use all his legal wiles to defend his client and solve the mystery.