Margin for Error

Mayor assigns Moe Finkelstein and his partner Salomon as bodyguards for German consul Karl Baumer. Moe immediately turns in his badge, convinced the man is a Nazi and he cannot serve under such circumstances. Captain Mulrooney explains that the mayor’s broader goal is to safeguard everyone and to show the difference between their system and the Nazi one.

Captain Mulrooney tells Moe that despite the mayor’s personal opposition to Hitler, his responsibility is the safety of all citizens. He suggests Moe's assignment could become a test of values and a contrast between American liberty and totalitarian control. Moe remains uneasy but stays on the case.

Baumer is under pressure from Berlin for misused funds intended to sabotage, creating tension at the consulate. Max von Alvenstor resists delaying the crucial report that Berlin expects. Sophia, Baumer's wife, confesses to Moe that she married him to secure her father's release, revealing personal motives behind the political intrigue.

Sophia tells Moe she loathes Baumer and married him only for her father's release. She warns Moe of her husband’s schemes, hinting at dangerous loyalties in the background. The confession deepens Moe's distrust of the consulate's domestic life.

Otto Horst is ordered to procure false identification papers for saboteurs. Baumer plots to frame Max for Horst's murder and tries to enlist Sophia's help, but she warns Horst, prompting him to arm himself with a gun. The air of treachery thickens inside the consulate.

During a radio broadcast of a Hitler speech, Horst stabs Baumer with his knife without the others noticing. Sophia grabs Horst's pistol and kills Baumer, a moment that leaves the guests stunned as the murder unfolds. The act deepens the mystery surrounding Baumer's death.

Moe begins to question the suspects, and Sophia readily confesses to the crime; Max asserts that he was the one who killed Baumer. The conflicting statements push Moe to search for the truth behind Baumer's death. The investigation tightens around the inner circle of the consulate.

Moe reveals Baumer was not only stabbed but also shot and poisoned, complicating the case further. The coroner’s report later confirms poisoning, forcing the team to reconstruct the sequence of events. The intertwining murders begin to point to a carefully laid scheme.

Max rushes to the port where saboteurs are concealed and orders them to dismantle the bomb. With minutes to spare, the saboteurs comply, the device is dismantled, and the threat is neutralized. The operation moves from deduction to an active countermeasure.

Returning to the consulate, Max identifies Horst as an accomplice to the saboteurs, and Horst is arrested. The net tightens around the conspirators, but questions about Baumer’s death remain. The immediate danger has passed, yet the full truth awaits.

A coroner’s report determines Baumer died of poisoning, not solely from sharp instruments. Reconstructing the event reveals Baumer had placed poison in the whisky meant for Max, but a glass mix-up during demonstrations caused him to drink from the wrong glass. The misdirection exposes how the plan was foiled by a simple mistake.

The investigation resolves with Horst’s arrest and the saboteurs’ capture, confirming a conspiracy that blended political deceit with personal motives. The city’s safety is restored, and Moe gains a clearer understanding of duty beyond personal belief. The film closes on the tension between loyalty, ideology, and justice.