Fading matinee idol Alvin Merle is mysteriously murdered in his dressing room after a performance. It seems that everyone on the Great White Way has a motive for killing the philandering actor. Eager to stop the endless speculation from the press, the NYPD strong-arms it's way through the murder investigation, trying to frame Merle's cranky old stage manager. Ace reporter Jim Ryan from "The Chronicle" smells a rat. At his editor's request, Ryan starts poking around and soon realizes that the mystery surrounding the crime is far deeper and more conspiratorial than anyone first realized. Menaced by the still-at-large killer, Ryan falls for a mysterious woman named Jean, while trying to get the story and aid the course of justice.