Summary
A sordid theatrical milieu provides the backdrop for a murder most foul when the predatory Allan Bowen meets his demise while assaulting Vera Hampton. The subsequent accusation lands squarely on Wade DeForrest, scion of privilege, whose companion that fateful night was Shaler Spencer. Shaler, a once-lauded legal mind now languishing in idleness, his brother Rod's inheritance squandered, proposes a grim pact: he will confess to the killing, stepping through the symbolic 'black gate' to the death chamber, if Wade's mother compensates Rod with a hefty sum. The desperate Mrs. DeForrest agrees, yet a visit from Vera, Shaler's former paramour, rekindles their bond, prompting Shaler to recant his confession. However, witnessing Mrs. DeForrest's profound anguish, he inexplicably reaffirms his culpability. The narrative then unravels further, revealing that the fatal projectile could not have originated from Shaler's weapon, ultimately exposing Wade's own jealous rage as the true impetus behind Bowen's murder, a consequence of his burgeoning affection for Vera post-Shaler's departure. In a denouement mirroring the twists of fate, Shaler and Vera find solace and a future together in matrimony.
Synopsis
Lecherous theatrical manager Allan Bowen is shot and killed while attempting to rape Vera Hampton. Wade DeForrest, the son of a wealthy woman, is charged with murder. Wade's companion that evening, Shaler Spencer, once a prominent lawyer but now an idler who has squandered his brother Rod's inheritance, decides to confess to the killing if Wade's mother will pay Rod $100,000 the day Shaler enters "the black gate" - the door to the death chamber. Mrs. DeForrest agrees, but when Vera, who earlier was Shaler's lover, visits him and they reconcile, he announces his innocence. When he sees Mrs. DeForrest's tears, however, he admits that he did fire at Bowen. Later, Shaler discovers that the bullet in Bowen could not have come from his gun, then Wade confesses that he killed Bodwen out of jealousy because he had fallen for Vera after she left Shaler. In the end, Shaler and Vera decide to marry.
