Dead Ringer

During World War II, Margaret fakes a pregnancy to steal Edith's fiancé, Francesco DeLorca. The ruse piles pressure on both sisters and sets Margaret up as the heiress while Edith's prospects dim. This early deception fuels the deadly feud that dominates the rest of the story.

The estranged twins meet and mourn Frank, the man who connected them once and now symbolizes their rivalry. They exchange guarded pleasantries while the threat of betrayal hangs over them. The moment reopens old wounds and hints at the revenge to come.

Edith, desperate to regain control of her life, schemes revenge and summons Margaret to her room above the bar. She plans to settle their scores and secure Frank's fortune by any means necessary. The setup marks a shift from rivalry to calculated deceit.

Margaret arrives and Edith shoots her, then quickly swaps clothes with the corpse to stage a suicide and make the murder look like Margaret's. The ruse buys Edith time to impersonate Margaret and assume her wealth and status. The audience learns that murder can be a doorway to power.

With the body disposed and the disguise in place, Edith moves into the DeLorca mansion as Margaret. She carefully maintains the ruse to keep the servants and others from noticing inconsistencies. The mansion becomes a battlefield of appearances as suspicion begins to grow.

The Great Dane, who despised Margaret, unexpectedly befriends Edith, a clue that unsettles the household. Edith's smoking habit, unlike Margaret's aversion, deepens the sense that something is wrong. Servants also notice small inconsistencies that hint at the imposture.

Jim, a police detective who had been seeing Edith, visits the fake Margaret and asks questions. He senses contradictions and begins to doubt the story she presents. His interview plants seeds for a formal investigation into Frank's death.

Tony, Margaret's lover, arrives and quickly sees through Edith's disguise. He becomes entangled in the deception and refuses to stay silent about what he knows. The tension between old loyalties and Edith's ruse escalates the danger.

Edith learns that Margaret and Tony plotted to murder Frank by poisoning him, and she confronts the betrayal. The revelation deepens Edith's peril and forces her to navigate Tony's coercive demands. The looming exposure threatens to topple Edith's precarious ruse.

During a confrontation, Tony threatens Edith, and Margaret's Great Dane attacks and kills him. The brutal turn intensifies the house's peril and removes one of Edith's most dangerous liabilities. The killing underscores how far Edith's plan has spiraled.

Jim intensifies the case by exhuming Frank's body and discovering traces of arsenic. The forensic evidence links Frank's death to foul play and confirms a poisoning plot. The discovery shifts the investigation from suspicion to solid proof.

Jim arrives to arrest the impostor 'Margaret' as Edith finally confesses her true identity, but he refuses to believe her, saying 'Edie would never hurt a fly.' The conflicting loyalties and skepticism stall the immediate consequences. The arrest proceeds, but the deception has taken a toll.

Edith is tried for murder, and the verdict condemns her to death. The courtroom drama seals the public end of her impersonation and crime. The sentence marks the culmination of the years-long ruse and its violent outcomes.

As she is taken from the courthouse, Edith denies being Edith when Jim asks, clinging to her constructed identity. She departs for the gas chamber, facing the ultimate punishment for her deception and murder. The story ends with the definitive punishment for her crimes.