Fear of poison, Fear of being closed in, Fear of fire; these devastating phobias haunted a beautiful woman and led to tragedy.

Dr. Westlake, visiting his friends the Lockwoods, realized he was living in a highly rarefied atmosphere. The Lockwoods' near neighbors were tow leading ladies of America's stage and screen--Daphne (the Divine) Winters and Lucy Milliken, chief exponent of sweetness and light in the theatrical world.

The air fairly hummed with tension around these two characters when they met head on at a tea given by Lucy. The party ended dramatically with the poisoning of one of Daphne's protegees. Dr. Westlake and the police joined forces and found the killer in spite of histrionics, general uproar, and a spot of hysteria.