伦敦著名邢案辩护律师韦菲爵士（查尔斯•劳顿 Charles Laughton 饰）接受了心脏病治疗，但是身体依旧虚弱，第一天回家休养，护士一直严厉监督他服药，并杜绝烟酒。管家为了便于上楼，还专门为他修了电梯。但是，种种关心照顾，对于这位桀骜不驯、牙尖嘴利的大律师根本不起作用，反倒是一纸诉状令他倍感兴奋。律师梅休和当事人沃尔（泰隆•鲍华 Tyrone Power饰）登门拜访，请他出山打官司。原来，沃尔结识了富婆，两人相见甚欢，虽然仆人对他发明的打蛋器充满鄙夷，但是富婆却对他充满爱意，甚至为他修改了遗嘱，把8万英镑留给了他。然而，富婆却惨遭毒手。于是，沃尔成为警方的头号嫌疑犯。他的唯一证人是妻子克里斯汀（玛琳•黛德丽 Marlene Dietrich饰），然而后者登门时的冷漠与淡定，令韦菲爵士怀疑这其中另有隐情。在扑朔迷离的案件背后，隐藏着一个个环环相扣、不可告人的秘密…… 
　　本片改编自阿加莎•克里斯蒂同名小说。

1. Silence. Be upstanding in court.
 
2 .All persons who have anything to do before my lords,
 
3. the queen's justices of oyer and terminer and general jail delivery
 
4 .for the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court
 
5 .draw near and give your attendance. God save the queen.
 
6. What a beautiful day. I've been hoping for a bit of sun for our homecoming.
 
7 .It's worth having the fog just to appreciate the sunshine. Is there a draught?
 
8 .- Shall I roll up the window? - Roll up your mouth. You talk too much.
 
9. If I'd known how much you talked I'd never have come out of my coma.
 
10. - This thing weighs a ton. - Now, now.
 
11. We've been flat on our back for two months, we'd better be careful.
 
12. Lovely, lovely. It must be perfectly lovely to live and work in the Inns of Court.
 
13. How lucky you lawyers are.
 
14. I almost married a lawyer. I was in attendance for his appendectomy
 
15. and we became engaged as soon as he could sit up.
 
16. And then peritonitis set in and he went like that.
 
17. He certainly was a lucky lawyer.
 
18. Teeny-weeny steps, now. Remember we had a teeny-weeny heart attack.
 
19 .Sir Wilfrid, if you don't mind, I'd like to read you a poem to welcome you back.
 
20. Very touching. You can recite it after office hours in your own time.