Remember the Night

Lee Leander is arrested in a New York City jewelry store for stealing a bracelet. The assistant district attorney, John 'Jack' Sargent, is assigned to prosecute her. The arrest catalyzes a tense legal battle that tests both Lee’s fate and Jack’s career.

John Sargent takes on the case against Lee, preparing to present the evidence that could convict her. His professional duties conflict with his personal sympathy as the case progresses. The assignment marks the start of a complicated relationship between prosecutor and defendant.

The trial opens on the eve of the holiday season, but a procedural technicality allows the proceedings to be postponed to avoid a jury full of holiday spirit. The delay shifts the momentum of the case and keeps Lee in limbo. The decision to postpone foreshadows later strategic moves.

Bondsman Fat Mike posts bail for Lee, wrongly assuming Jack intends to seduce her, and delivers her to Jack’s apartment. However, Jack’s protective instinct leads him to offer to drop her at her mother’s house on his way to his own family. The arrangement complicates their relationship from the start.

On the drive, Jack gets lost in Pennsylvania and the plan to return Lee to Indiana becomes derailed. They end up spending the night parked in a field, sharing the awkwardness of an improvised shelter. The misdirection sets the stage for further friction and danger.

The next day, the landowner arrests them for trespassing and destruction of property, and they are taken to a stern, unfriendly justice of the peace. The legal pressure intensifies as they face a formal authority figure. The incident complicates their fragile holiday plans.

Lee starts a fire in the wastebasket as a distraction, buying time to flee. The pair escapes the jurisdiction and continues their precarious journey. The escape marks a turning point in their relationship from wary cooperation to a more intimate bond.

Jack brings Lee home to spend Christmas with his family. She is warmly received by his cousin Willie, aunt Emma, and his mother, even after Jack reveals Lee’s past. The familial welcome tests the boundaries of their unconventional liaison.

On New Year’s Eve, Jack and Lee share a kiss at a barn dance, signaling a deepening emotional bond. The moment heightens the stakes for their relationship and for Lee’s case. The festive setting contrasts with the growing tension between Lee’s legal status and Jack’s affections.

Jack’s mother visits Lee to explain Jack’s difficult childhood and to urge Lee to walk away for the sake of his career. Lee agrees to consider stepping back, acknowledging the risk to Jack’s future. The confrontation lays bare the theme of sacrifice within their romance.

On the way back to New York via Canada and Niagara Falls to bypass Pennsylvania, Jack tells Lee he loves her and tries to persuade her to jump bail. She refuses, choosing to face the consequences rather than abandon him. The cross-border journey emphasizes the couple’s resolve and the legal peril surrounding them.

Back in New York, Jack’s aggressive cross-examination tries to win the jury’s sympathy, and his boss overhears the affair outside. Lee ultimately pleads guilty, and Jack reveals a desire to marry her on the spot. She declines, saying they should marry only after she serves her term, with Jack promising to stand beside her during sentencing.