Reginald Thorpe, a famous Shakespearean actor and matinee idol who, beneath his attractive exterior, hides a villainous soul, is preparing to leave the Broadway stage for Hollywood. After telling Celia Adams, with whom he has been having an affair, to meet him at a train station, he deceives her and makes plans to depart from another station. At the same time, Thorpe convinces his leading lady, Ina Fontaine, to go west with him, even though she is in love with Thorpe's understudy, Tony Hill. Speedy, Thorpe's press agent, tries to blackmail another of Thorpe's admirers, Mrs. Helen Lawton, by threatening to sell her love letters to her husband John. John then threatens to take reprisals against Speedy after the show. Thorpe is disliked by many of his fellow performers, including prop man and knife-thrower Barney Adams and manager Nat Phillips. After receiving an anonymous threatening letter, Thorpe requests police protection from Inspector Dunn, who attends his final performance of Othello . Just before going on stage, Thorpe and Tony fight over Ina. After the show, Dunn goes backstage to meet Thorpe and finds Helen waiting for her letters. Dunn also finds Thorpe, still in costume, stabbed in the back with one of Barney's knives. Suspicion is initially cast on John, who tries to flee with Helen. Dunn soon suspects Tony as the culprit, but discovers that Thorpe was murdered before the show, and that Tony went on in his place. As all are under suspicion, Dunn questions them thoroughly. Thorpe's chauffeur is about to reveal the author of the threatening letter, but he is stabbed before he can speak. When Celia returns from the railroad station, it is learned that she is Barney's daughter, and that Barney, having discovered that Thorpe was going to leave her and ruin her life, killed Thorpe. After Dunn tricks Barney into confessing, Ina and Tony are reunited.