In Paris, an artist hires portrait models, and after he finishes their portraits, he strangles them.
A killer of young women, dubbed Bluebeard, is loose in Paris. Lucille and her friends meet Gaston Morrell, a puppeteer. He invites them to a show the next night; they go. Afterwards, he walks with Lucille; she offers to make costumes for his next show, he accepts, and feelings develop that may lead to love. She suspects he has a tragic past. Meanwhile, his leaving the show with Lucille prompts the jealousy of Renee, Gaston's sometime lover. Lucille's younger sister, Francine, comes back to Paris - her boyfriend is Inspector Lefebre, who's hunting for Bluebeard. Some clues point toward Lamart, a greedy art dealer. Who is in danger, and can Gaston be trusted?—<[email protected]>
In Paris a killer is strangling young women and dumping their dead bodies into the Seine and is nicknamed "Bluebeard "after the classic French story of the man who murdered his wives. As women group together to travel in the evening streets, the outdoor puppet theatre of Gaston (John Carradine) becomes a popular place for people to convene. When Lucille (Jean Parker) sees Gaston's puppets she is enthralled and an emotional bond is formed with the performance artist. When Gaston returns home waiting for him is a former love Renee (Sonia Sorel) who is jealous that Gaston is interested in Lucille. In a calculated cold act Gaston strangles Renee and dumps her body into the river. As Gaston's relationship with Lucille develops police Inspector Lefevre (Nils Asther) who is the fiancé of Lucille's sister Francine (Teala Loring) and when the investigation leads them to a suspicious art dealer Lamarte (Ludwig Stossel) who may be a front for a murderous painter, Francine agrees to model for the artist who turns out to be Gaston. The police believe they have their man and close in but can they catch the killer before he kills again?
