Marked Woman

Johnny Vanning becomes the owner of a gaudy New York nightclub and renames it Club Intimate. He uses the club to exploit and coerce the bar girls, making loyalty and obedience his top priority. The club becomes the nerve center of his vice empire.

As part of her job, Mary lures a patron into betting heavily and losing more than he can afford. The man pleads that he cannot repay, and Mary warns him that he is in real danger and must leave town. She senses trouble, but she does not yet fully grasp the danger of Vanning's operation.

Shortly after the confrontation, the gambler is murdered by two of Vanning's henchmen. The crime is staged to look like a routine killing, deepening the club's aura of danger. Mary is distressed but not surprised, understanding the reach of Vanning's power.

District Attorney David Graham decides to pursue charges against Vanning, convinced there is a solid case. He works to assemble evidence showing the scale of Vanning's criminal operations. The pursuit brings the club's illicit activities into the public eye.

Mary takes the stand to testify about Vanning's terror and the club's malpractices. Her testimony is intended to illuminate the chain of command behind the vice ring, but Vanning's alibi for his henchmen undermines her credibility. The defense casts doubt on her motives, making the jury's task more difficult.

The defense presents an airtight alibi for Vanning and his henchmen, and the jury rules them innocent. The verdict damages Mary’s reputation and casts doubt on her honesty in the eyes of the public. Graham contends with the result, realizing the case will be harder to win.

Graham believes Mary lied to him, fearing that she might have misled the court to protect someone else. The accusation stings Mary and frays her trust with the prosecutor. The sense of danger from Vanning's retaliation becomes more acute.

Mary's younger sister Betty visits for a football game, unaware of the danger surrounding Mary. She attends a party at Vanning's club with Mary's roommate Emmy Lou, and she becomes entwined in the club's social circle. The night marks the widening conflict as family members become drawn into Vanning's world.

At the party, Betty meets Vanning's associate Bob Crandall and dances with him, drawn into his orbit. Crandall tries to persuade her to go with him, but she resists his advances. The mounting tension foreshadows tragedy.

During the party, Vanning, enraged by Betty's resistance, slaps her, and she tumbles down a flight of stairs and dies. He later disposes of her body in the river to hide the crime. The murder marks a crucial turning point in the sisters' fight against him.

Fearing Betty's fate, Mary confronts the possibility of Vanning's retaliation and vows to testify. Thugs beat her and scar her face, branding her with a cross as a brutal warning. The attack hardens her resolve to stand up to Vanning in court.

Mary and the other bar girls decide to testify, breaking their silence about the vice ring. Their decision creates a united front against Vanning and signals a shift in the club's power dynamics. They prepare to implicate Vanning in the courtroom.

With the women's testimonies, the case against Vanning begins to crack the empire he built around Club Intimate. The press covers the unfolding revelations as authorities move to dismantle the operation. The community starts to see the cost of silence and complicity.

Graham steps before the press with a sense of cautious victory, while the five girls walk off into the foggy night. Their stand marks a turning point against Vanning's criminal network, even if the battle is not fully over. The city streets echo with resolve and the warning that silence has a price.