Lightning Strikes Twice

Richard Trevelyan, a wealthy rancher, is on death row in a Texas prison. He wins a new trial, but the result is a hung jury when a lone juror holds out, which ultimately leads to his release. The development sets the stage for the subsequent chain of events around his freedom and the suspicions that follow him.

Actress Shelley Carnes is en route to a Texas dude ranch for a rest when she meets wealthy ranchers J.D. and Myra Nolan who lend her their car. Their involvement introduces the film’s web of relationships and potential motives. The loan sets Shelley on a collision course with Trevelyan and the unresolved murder case.

Lost in a storm, Shelley encounters Trevelyan by chance. He grows spooked when he learns she knows J.D. and Myra, hinting at deeper connections and possible danger surrounding his past. The moment deepens the tension between them.

Shelley reaches the closed dude ranch and meets Liza McStringer, who runs it with her brother String. Liza reveals she was the juror who let Trevelyan off, and explains how she is shunned by neighbors because of that decision. The confession reframes the town’s perception of the case.

Shelley bonds with the troubled String, earning an invitation to stay. She learns that Loraine Trevelyan, the murdered wife, was disliked and seen as wicked, and that there may have been an affair involving J.D. This feeds ongoing rumors about Trevelyan’s past.

Shelley goes looking for Trevelyan and finds him brooding on a cliffside. There are sparks between them but no decisive connection, and she leaves feeling unsettled by the encounter. The moment underscores the unresolved tension from his past.

Shelley spends a night with the Nolans and is introduced to Harvey Turner, a woman-hungry neighbor who immediately takes an interest in her. He speaks ill of Loraine and hints that Trevelyan escaped her clutches, complicating Shelley's view of the men involved.

Harvey abducts Shelley and brings her to a secret rendezvous with Trevelyan; the two men are revealed to be close friends, and Trevelyan has asked Harvey for this favor. The couple marry in a rush, driven by fear and desperation, before Liza crashes the scene.

Back at the ranch, Liza appears uninvited at the intimate reception and accuses Trevelyan of murder. She storms off, leaving Shelley unsettled and anxious. The incident crystallizes the villain in Liza's jealousy.

Liza confesses in a murderous rage that she killed Loraine, driven by jealousy, and explains the tangled web with J.D. and Harvey. Trevelyan and Harvey intervene as Liza and String flee in their car. The revelation reframes how the court case might be viewed.

Pursued by the police, Liza drives her car off a cliff. She survives long enough to confess to a priest. The event marks a culmination of the town’s dangerous deceit and the couple’s precarious safety.

Trevelyan is vindicated as the lies around his trial unravel. He had been correct in claiming he did not know how Loraine died. Reassured by the local sheriff, the couple depart in Trevelyan's car toward their honeymoon, sharing a kiss as they go.