Die Screaming Marianne

Marianne jumps from a window and darts through town, then flees into the countryside to shake off her pursuing men. She uses narrow streets and open fields, keeping one step ahead with quick thinking. The frantic chase introduces her resourcefulness and will to survive.

As the story unfolds, Marianne is revealed to be a nightclub dancer fleeing her father, a disbarred corrupt judge. He lives with Marianne's half-sister Hildegarde in a villa in Portugal and conspires to recover money and evidence. The pursuit becomes deeply personal and legal danger tightens its grip.

On her 21st birthday, Marianne is set to receive a large inheritance from Ruth, her mother. The money sits in a Swiss bank account along with a safebox containing papers that could convict the judge. Ruth's fortune becomes the central leverage in the conflict.

The judge and Hildegarde press Marianne for the Swiss account number, hoping to seize the money and erase the evidence. Marianne stays elusive, turning the chase into a high-stakes game. The threat escalates as the criminals close in.

Marianne encounters Sebastian, and a bond forms as they travel toward London. She reluctantly agrees to marry him, seeking protection and a fresh start. Their alliance complicates the money plot with shifting loyalties.

During the ceremony, Marianne tricks the clerk by pretending to marry Sebastian, but the name on the certificate is Eli Frome, Sebastian's best man. The ruse leaves Marianne free to pursue her own path while maintaining appearances. The maneuver binds her to Eli and deepens the web of deception.

Marianne breaks off with Sebastian and begins a romance with Eli. The change unsettles both men and reorients the power dynamics around the inheritance plot. Marianne's choices pull her deeper into danger and betrayal.

Sebastian travels back to Portugal to inform the judge of Marianne's marriage to Eli. The judge promises a hefty reward if Marianne can be brought to Portugal with the account number in hand. The plan tightens its grip as the stakes rise.

Eli is abducted and threatened by two men, but he manages to escape after stabbing one attacker. The incident heightens the sense that anyone close to Marianne could be harmed. The danger level for Marianne and her companions increases dramatically.

Marianne, Sebastian, and Hildegarde arrive at the villa in Portugal, where a cat-and-mouse game unfolds. Sebastian and Hildegarde attempt to extract the account number by locking Marianne in an overheated sauna. The atmosphere is taut with imminent danger and betrayal.

The judge drives away to seek help, but Sebastian's sabotage of the brakes on his car triggers a plunge off a cliff, killing the judge. The fatal accident removes a major obstacle but leaves a dangerous power vacuum. Marianne's fate remains precarious as the plan unravels.

Marianne breaks free from the sauna and seeks help, ending up at a police station. There she must identify a body—Eli's—whose murder was orchestrated by Sebastian. The loss confirms the depth of treachery surrounding her.

Sebastian and Hildegarde lure Marianne to an old, abandoned building where they torture her for the account number. Marianne fights back and escapes, while Sebastian pursues, slipping and falling through a weakened floor into a cellar. His injury leaves him vulnerable and dramatically shifts the balance of danger.

Hildegarde tries to enlist Rodriguez by seduction, but the judge's loyal servant strangles her. The murder removes a major player from the scheme and clears a path for Marianne's final stand. The villa is left haunted by treachery and murder.

The following morning, Rodriguez serves drinks and a birthday card from Eli to a grieving Marianne as police arrive. The scene closes on Marianne's sorrow and the looming questions of justice and inheritance. The threats and heartbreak linger as the story ends on a tense note.