 Carl Gorman spats with his wife Alice over his ne er-do-well nephew, Jim Ferris, who constantly asks for money to pay non-existent gambling debts. Unknown to Carl, Alice is having an affair with Ferris, who schemes with Stanley Piper to extort money from Carl. Ferris persuades Alice to join the venture. Carl consults with Perry Mason on how to deal with Jim. Alice calls Carl from their mountain cabin, pretending to be held for $80,000 by the gamblers who are after Jim. Carl sends his secretary, Betty Wilkins, with a briefcase full of cash to the cabin. After the money arrives, Piper, masked and armed, rushes in to claim the ransom, but Alice pulls a gun and accidentally shoots Jim. A kerosene lamp falls to the floor in the struggle and sets the cabin on fire. Alice escapes and arrives home incoherent. Betty sees the cabin in flames and finds a gun--her gun--outside the cabin. Carl asks Perry to defend Betty, who is soon arrested for murder.