Framed

Naïve mining engineer Mike Lambert loses his brakes while descending a steep highway. He threads through a small town and ends up denting Jeff Cunningham's pickup. Jeff demands compensation, but his employer won't pay, so Mike covers the damage himself.

Police arrest Mike in a bar for reckless driving and an expired license. Paula, a barmaid, pays his $50 fine, sparing him from immediate trouble. She then arranges a hotel room for him, signaling the start of their uneasy alliance.

After paying the fine, Paula helps Mike secure a hotel room and quits her job. She meets Steve Price and tells him she has found a stranger who matches Steve's height and lacks local connections. This tips the scale toward Steve's involvement in the plot.

The next day, Mike seeks work and is directed to Jeff Cunningham, a prospector who has found a rich vein in an old silver mine. Jeff offers Mike a 10% share, and Mike eagerly accepts. The deal foreshadows the mine as the focal point of the conspiracy.

Mike tells Paula about the mine, and she manipulates Steve to block Jeff's financing. Steve, the bank's vice-president, denies Jeff the loan, aligning with Paula's plan. The confrontation escalates the stakes for everyone involved.

Steve has already embezzled $250,000 from the bank and hid it in Paula's safety deposit box. The plan is to stage a fatal fiery car crash so Mike will be mistaken for Steve's killer. Paula plays both sides, manipulating the path to murder.

Mike wins some money at a craps game and uses it to reimburse Paula for her earlier expenses. He remains wary of the well-funded barmaid, but Paula insists she coaxed Steve into reconsidering Jeff's financing. Mike, still trusting Paula for now, buys her story.

On the way back from the mine, Mike, Steve, and Paula stop at Steve's place for a drink. Mike notices a bathrobe embroidered with 'Paula,' arousing his suspicions. Paula then knocks Steve out, drives the car toward a cliff, and convinces Mike that he killed Steve in a drunken rage, claiming she staged the crash to cover for him.

After the crash, Mike learns that authorities know Steve was killed and Jeff has been accused of his murder. He becomes suspicious of Paula but lacks proof. The net tightens around the conspirators as the truth edges closer.

Mike goes to see Jeff in jail and probes for information while keeping his suspicions about Paula to himself. He tries to piece together who is behind the frame and what really happened to Steve. The exchange heightens Mike's determination to uncover Paula's involvement.

Mike questions Mrs. Woodworth, Steve's secretary, who confirms that a Helen Bailey called during Jeff's meeting with Steve, hinting at Paula's alias. The clue links Paula to the planned murder. A suspicious husband phones the police, but Mike manages to escape after a confrontation.

Mike asks Paula whether she knows Helen Bailey; she denies it, but his flash of recognition reveals the name is her alias. Paula hurries to the bank to draw the money hidden in the safety deposit, trying to cover her tracks. Mike follows, determined to stop her.

Mike confronts Paula at the bank; she begs him to run away with her, but he refuses. He tips off the police, and Paula is placed under arrest. The truth about the plot closes in as Mike takes the right side of justice.