Dead Men Tell

Jimmy is released from a locked coffin and heads to a tough waterfront bar. He wanders in and is tossed into the water but escapes, hinting at his rough start to the adventure.

Charlie Chan arrives to retrieve his No.2 son, who had intended to stow away on the ship for the adventure. His mission hints at a broader danger aboard and sets the stage for the investigation.

Miss Nodbury explains that the pirate map is split into four pieces and has been distributed among invited passengers. The ship has recently hosted a museum of pirate lore, heightening the lure of the treasure.

All passengers are summoned to the ship by mysterious anonymous notes, and their roles in the quest are kept secret. The enigmatic invitation compounds the tension as everyone wonders who holds which piece.

Movie actor Charles Thursday arrives with his new wife, hoping for a quiet honeymoon aboard the vessel. Their presence adds glamour and the possibility of hidden motives to the crew.

Bill Lydig is introduced as a newspaper reporter but is quickly revealed to be an escapee from San Quentin. The revelation casts suspicion on his every move and on the map fragments he may touch.

Psychiatrist Anne Bonney struggles to track her patient Gene La Farge, who appears cadaverous and unstable. The uneasy dynamic foreshadows the psychological strain aboard the ship.

The Captain refuses to meet the passengers, convinced someone abandoned him on an island years ago and that the treasure lure will lure him back. Revenge drives his guarded, resentful behavior as the voyage unfolds.

Bill Lydig is found smothered to death below decks. He had previously pocketed part of the treasure map, and the killer retrieved that fragment, escalating the stakes.

The killer has three pieces of the map, while Chan holds the fourth piece. The pursuit of completion turns the voyage into a web of deceit and tense suspense.

The killer is caught trying to regain the fourth map piece, with the Captain's reluctant assistance. The plan collapses and the chase tightens toward a final confrontation.

Miss Nodbury succumbs to a fright-triggered heart condition and dies aboard the ship. Her death compounds the mystery and raises the stakes for Chan's investigation.

Charlie Chan resolves the mystery and pieces together the truth behind the pirate treasure plot. The revelation brings the case to a close while the ship remains at the dock.