a Hudson is the last in the long line of the Hudsons, and her fame, wealth and power are legendary. She has written seven plays in the last fifteen years, all of them successful. Now she watches the rehearsal for her latest, "Immoral Courage," and notices that one of the male leads, Lester Blaine, is too handsome for the part. So she has him removed. But there he is on opening night, charming his way past her defenses-and into her life.

Their subsequent marriage seems perfect. Lester is the ideal husband, devoted and attentive. Then one day while listening back to last night's Dictaphone recordings Myra discovers a horrible secret. The machine had been activated when Lester and Irma Neves, Myra's protégé, had entered the room later that night-and secretly made plans to kill her.