Summary
An aging patriarch, concerned by his flighty granddaughter Cynthia's lack of commitment, crafts a will designed to compel her into matrimony within twenty-four hours of his demise, lest she be disinherited. However, his manipulative nurse, sensing opportunity during his final illness, subtly redirects his affections—or perhaps his lucidity—to secure a revised will favoring Cynthia. Following his death, this nurse, in a sinister alliance with Cynthia's opportunistic stepfather, conspires to forge a new testament, painting herself as the sole beneficiary and effectively disinheriting Cynthia. Unaware of this elaborate deception and believing her grandfather's original, more conditional will still holds sway, a desperate Cynthia hastily weds a hotel waiter, unaware that this seemingly humble man is, in fact, the enigmatic Jim Dutton, a figure who has already captured her attention. The unraveling of this intricate web of deceit begins when a private detective, a confidante of Jim, uncovers the fraudulent document, setting the stage for a dramatic confrontation that exposes the nurse and stepfather’s machinations, culminating in the shocking revelation of the grandfather's murder at the hands of the stepfather.
Synopsis
Because he fears that his irresponsible granddaughter, Cynthia, will never settle down, an old man makes a will stating that she will be disinherited if she remains unmarried twenty-four hours after his death. When the old man becomes gravely ill while on a trip with his nurse, she convinces him to revise his will and leave everything to Cynthia. After his death, the nurse, in collusion with Cynthia's stepfather, secretly make a will to make it appear that the nurse will inherit the entire estate. Thinking that the original will remains in force, Cynthia marries a waiter at her hotel, not realizing that he actually is Jim Dutton, a young man to whom she has been attracted. Jim's friend, who is a private detective, uncovers the false will. Finally, the nurse and Cynthia's stepfather are brought to justice after it is revealed that the stepfather murdered Cynthia's grandfather.
