South of Suez

In the 1930s East Africa, John Gamble is arrested for the murder of his partner, Roger Smythe. The real killer is rival prospector Eli Snedeker, who is obsessed with the Star of Africa diamond. Snedeker manipulates other miners to turn suspicion toward Gamble, framing him for the crime.

Snedeker shoots Smythe while searching for the Star of Africa gem and begins a campaign to frame Gamble. He is driven by diamond greed and a desire to claim Smythe's fortune.

Fleeing the growing danger, Gamble stows away on a ship bound for England to escape the frame-up. He leaves behind his life in Africa and starts anew under a false identity.

In London, Gamble adopts the name John Bradley and enters the world of investment banking as he builds wealth. He works to erase his past and secure a comfortable life.

Bradley meets Kit Sheffield, a wealthy heiress who is unaware of his past. They fall in love as they move in social circles.

Kit reveals a chilling motive: her sole aim is to see John Gamble dead, a truth that shocks Bradley and tests their budding relationship. The revelation sets up a dangerous tension between love and identity.

On a rainy evening, fate offers Bradley a way to drop his old identity. He plants his credentials on the body of a dead itinerant beneath a London bridge.

The body is found, the authorities accept that John Gamble is dead, and this clears the way for Bradley and Kit to pursue marriage. The scheme effectively erases his past in the eyes of law.

Unbeknownst to Bradley, Snedeker has relocated to London as a semi-retired diamond cutter, a move that still threatens Bradley's freedom.

Bradley reluctantly testifies and confirms Snedeker's accusation that he is the real Gamble, the suspected murderer of Kit's father. The trial becomes a clash of truth and deception.

Snedeker's wife is sworn in and reveals that she observed Snedeker killing Smythe. Her testimony introduces a crucial counterpoint to Snedeker's defenses.

In a dramatic turn, Snedeker shoots his wife in court, an act that unsettles the proceedings but ultimately reinforces Gamble's innocence.

The court is convinced of Gamble's innocence and he is free to marry Kit. The cloud of suspicion dissipates as the truth comes to light.

Gamble and Kit begin a life together, their marriage secured by the revelation of the truth and the end of the frame-up.