Society lawyer Christopher Durant agrees to defend his friend Phil Siddall after Siddall is arrested for the murder of an ex-girlfriend. With the help of nightclub singer Pat Abbott and crime boss Tony Gazotti (a former client), Durant launches his own investigation of the murder in order to prove his friend's innocence.—Anonymous
It is because he is an accomplished lawyer that Christopher Durant mutually agrees with the partners of the Manhattan law firm his father co-founded to part company in, against the seemingly insurmountable odds, successfully defending former mobster Tony Gazotti which some of the partners felt brought disrepute to the firm despite Chris certain of Tony being innocent of those specific murder charges. Tony, in his gratitude, has provided Chris with a couple of permanent bodyguards despite Chris neither wanting nor feeling the need for them. The first case Chris decides to take in striking out on his own is defending his friend Phil Siddall charged with murdering his former girlfriend, showgirl Judy Barton. Phil broke up with Judy upon his engagement to Chris' ex-girlfriend, Sue Leonard, Chris and Sue who also mutually parted company in Sue having fallen for Phil and being unable to reconcile herself to be the wife of a lawyer already seemingly married to his work. The case against Phil is strong, including him found standing over Judy's dead body holding the gun that fired the bullet that killed her, and having other evidence provided by material witnesses. In the process, Chris befriends Pat Abbott, a fellow showgirl and acquaintance of Judy's who Chris believes may be able to provide some insight into what truly happened to Judy without even really knowing it. With help from both Pat and Tony, Chris believes he knows who killed Judy, and he just has to prove it before he befalls the same fate as Judy.—Huggo