Summary
A covetous Major Temple, during an exotic sojourn in China, fixates on acquiring a mystical artifact, "The Green God," from its venerated priestly guardians. His initial overtures for purchase prove futile. Undeterred, he enlists the mercenary Robert Ashton for its illicit procurement, dangling the hand of his daughter, Muriel, as the ultimate marital incentive. Ashton, having successfully purloined the sacred idol, returns to the Morgan family estate, not only claiming his promised bride but also demanding an additional monetary recompense. Temple, his avarice now clashing with Ashton's audacity, vehemently refuses the added demand, issuing a chilling ultimatum: Ashton will not depart the premises alive without relinquishing the deity. That fateful night, Muriel, burdened by the prospect of this coerced union, seeks out Ashton in his chambers, imploring him to release her from the patriarchal bargain; he remains unyielding. Dawn breaks to reveal Ashton's lifeless form, the house hermetically sealed, and only Muriel's dropped handkerchief serving as a tangible, incriminating trace. Both Muriel and Temple fall under immediate suspicion. Yet, in a climactic denouement involving a perilous lure into a clandestine Chinese temple, a character named Morton intervenes, orchestrating Muriel's dramatic exoneration from the web of suspicion and murder.
Synopsis
Major Temple vainly tries to purchase of the priests the Green God he sees on a visit to China. He commissions Robert Ashton to get it for him, promising him the hand of his daughter in marriage. Ashton steals the idol, and brings it to the Morgan home, demanding a cash bonus as well as the girl. Temple refuses, and vows that Ashton shall not leave the house alive unless he delivers the god. Muriel goes to his room that night to plead with him for release from the promise, but he is obdurate. In the morning he is found dead. Doors are locked, and the only clue is Muriel's handkerchief, which she dropped. She is suspected, as is Temple, but she is saved by Morton after stirring scenes in a Chinese temple to which he has been lured.
