Evening – Night – Morning

Maud, the lover of millionaire Chester, is showered with cash and gifts by him. She also helps her dissolute brother, Brillburn, by funneling some of her wealth and jewels to him. Chester's affection for Maud establishes their close connection and sets the scene for the ensuing events.

Chester sees a valuable pearl necklace in a shop window and purchases it for Maud after she asks for it. The necklace's value makes it a target for theft and a key plot element in the story. Chester shares news about the necklace with his friend, Prince.

Prince, who is heavily indebted, learns about the necklace from Chester and decides to break into Chester's house to steal it. He plans the theft carefully, aiming to take the valuable item without being caught.

That night, Prince sneaks into Chester's house and inadvertently breaks a vase while searching for the necklace. Chester hears the disturbance and comes downstairs, giving Prince an opportunity to spot the hidden jewelry.

Prince sees where Chester is hiding the necklace and knocks Chester unconscious. He then attempts to fake Chester’s suicide by hanging him and types out a fake suicide note, all while smoking a cigarette.

Brillburn arrives at the house just as Prince is dealing with Chester’s unconscious body. Realizing the opportunity, Brillburn begins to steal the necklace himself, prompting Prince to hide it in the coal room to avoid capture.

Prince quickly hides the pearl necklace inside the coal room, removing a large lump of coal to conceal the stolen jewelry. He hopes to return and retrieve it later, but the situation escalates as events unfold.

Brillburn finds Chester with a noose around his neck and uses his dagger to cut the noose free, inadvertently losing a button in the process. Brillburn then flees the scene, and Chester throws the lump of coal out the window, hitting Brillburn and knocking him out.

Maud wakes up to find her house in disarray, and Detective Ward is called to investigate. His arrival marks the beginning of the official investigation into the break-in and theft.

Detective Ward examines the scene and finds Brillburn unconscious on the lawn, suspecting him of assault and theft. The discovery of Prince’s expensive cigarette butt suggests another intruder was involved.

Under questioning, Prince gives contradictory explanations about his presence in the house. The lump of coal with the hidden necklace leads Ward to suspect the stolen jewelry is concealed within it.

Detective Ward waits for the reappearance of the thief to claim the necklace. The evidence points to Prince, who is then duly arrested for the theft and attempted murder, completing the crime resolution.