In Singapore, Leslie Crosbie (Bette Davis) shoots and kills a man, claiming that he tried to take advantage of her. She is arrested and her husband, Robert (Herbert Marshall), hires attorney Howard Joyce (James Stephenson) to defend her. During the trial Howard uncovers an incriminating letter that casts doubt on Leslie's story. The two become embroiled in a blackmail scheme involving a Malayan clerk (Victor Sen Yung) and the dead man's widow (Gale Sondergaard).