Appointment with Death

Emily Boynton coerces Jefferson Cope into destroying her late husband's second will. This leaves the original will, which favors Emily, effectively keeping the fortune out of the stepchildren's hands. The stepchildren Lennox, Raymond, and Carol remain under her control, while Ginevra is her daughter.

Emily takes the stepchildren and Nadine on a holiday to Europe, with the journey aboard a ship. The trip exposes Emily's controlling nature and inflames tensions among the family. Hercule Poirot, along with Dr. Sarah King, enters the storyline as an observer and potential catalyst.

In Trieste, Poirot encounters his old friend Dr. Sarah King, setting up a partnership that will drive the investigation. Dr. King catches the eye of Raymond Boynton, which Emily disapproves of, heightening family tensions. The stage is set for complex relationships that will influence the motives.

Lady Westholme is introduced along with archaeologist Miss Quinton and lawyer Cope as part of the party heading toward Jerusalem and Qumran. Their presence broadens the circle of potential suspects and motives. Emily's hostility to Cope and his companions foreshadows future friction.

The adult Boynton children learn there is a second will their father spoke of before he died. The revelation deepens distrust and underscores Emily's grip on the inheritance. Emily continues to bully her step-children, maintaining control over the family dynamic.

Cope flirts with Nadine, and Emily attempts to keep him away from the family. Cope resists Emily's demands, increasing tension among the adults aboard. The strained relationships foreshadow potential conflicts to come.

Emily poisons Cope's wine with digitalis as part of her plan to remove a threat to her control. The wine spill occurs when Nadine's husband strikes Cope, contaminating the scene. Cockroaches drinking the spill draw Poirot's attention to possible foul play.

At the Qumran archaeological dig, Emily is found dead, initially attributed to heart failure. Dr. Sarah King examines her medical bag and finds an empty digitalis bottle and a missing syringe, hinting at poisoning. Poirot begins to suspect foul play and starts assembling the clues.

Poirot plans to meet a local child witness, but the boy is frightened away by an unknown party. Dr. King chases the boy through the streets, and a gun is fired, killing him. Dr. King is accused of the murder but claims she was attacked by an unseen assailant; Poirot has her released while the investigation continues.

Poirot reveals that the step-children lied about seeing Emily alive, and uses their testimonies to piece together the true sequence of events. His deductions shift suspicion away from the children and onto an outsider, increasing the tension as the truth nears. The scene leads into the final confrontation.

During a banquet, Poirot reveals that Lady Westholme is the killer, having once served as a prison warden who identified Emily. Westholme had used Dr. King's medical bag to inject digitalis and silence a key witness. She flees to her room in disgrace as the revelation sinks in.

In the fireworks finale, Lady Westholme shoots herself rather than return to prison. Poirot persuades authorities to treat her death as an accident to avoid further tarnishing Emily's reputation. The case closes with the family left to grieve while the detective reflects on the layers of deceit.