Summary
Defend Yourself plunges into a grim world of necessity and moral compromise, following Louise Nolan, a young woman thrust into a life of veiled performance at "The Cat's Paw" – a bustling, morally ambiguous sporting café. Her motivation is stark: to provide for her ailing, crippled brother after her father's brutal murder. The narrative escalates when a fellow dancer, "The Mouse," is injured, drawing the predatory Smiley Bill Curtain – the very man responsible for Louise's father's death – into a more direct orbit. Curtain, a 'sugardaddy' figure, summons Dr. Poole, the physician tending to Louise's brother, to treat The Mouse. A dangerous attraction sparks between Poole and Louise, igniting Curtain's possessive jealousy. In a dramatic turn, Curtain imprisons Poole and, without consent, declares his intention to marry Louise. The volatile situation culminates in a furious act of revenge by The Mouse, who kills Curtain. Seizing the opportunity, Poole liberates himself and Louise, securing her promise of marriage amidst the chaos, a swift and convenient resolution to their entangled fates.
Synopsis
After her father is murdered, Louise Nolan goes to work as a masked dancer in a sporting café called "The Cat's Paw" in order to support her crippled brother. When a girl called The Mouse is hurt, Smiley Bill Curtain, the sugardaddy who killed Louisa's father, calls in Poole, a physician who has been treating Louisa's brother. Poole arouses Curtain's jealousy, and Curtain orders the doctor to be forcibly detained, simultaneously announcing his own marriage to an unwilling and surprised Louisa. In a fit of anger, The Mouse kills Curtain; Poole escapes and takes Louisa with him, obtaining her promise to become his wife.
