High suspense meets the domestic in this thriller-melodrama from famed director Max Ophüls. While her husband is away in Germany, Lucia Harper (Joan Bennett) discovers the body of a man about the house. Mistakenly believing her daughter has killed him, the dutiful mother-in a reckless moment-removes the evidence by boat to a nearby island. As fate would have it, however, a blackmailer (James Mason) appears on the scene, and the unfortunate Mrs. Harper is forced to add the securing of $5,000 to her growing list of domestic concerns. The drama heightens and takes several unexpected turns as we follow the morally challenged heroine attempt to extricate herself before Christmas.