The 39 Steps

Richard Hannay is visited by Scudder, who hands him a notebook and begs him to pass it to Captain Kell of the Secret Service. Scudder is killed by a German spy as the police arrive, and Hannay is arrested for murder. He escapes custody and heads to London to uncover the truth behind the notebook.

Hannay flees to Scotland with the notebook, hoping to confirm Scudder's warnings. On the train he begins deciphering the notebook's pages written in Roman numerals. He learns that Archduke Ferdinand's assassination has triggered a plot that could threaten Britain.

Hannay spends the night in a barn, continuing to crack the code. The deciphering reveals that the Germans aim to destroy the Royal Navy to enable a future invasion of Britain.

Chased by police and German agents, Hannay reaches a Scottish town where locals mistake him for a Liberal spokesman. Victoria Sinclair and her brother Harry attempt to help, but they are captured by the German operatives.

Hannay and Victoria are taken to Longkeep Castle, headquarters of the espionage ring, and imprisoned by Professor Fisher. Sir George Sinclair arrives and interrogates them briefly before they are bound and gagged in a cellar.

They escape the cellar and search for the notebook, which Hannay discovers is missing. Victoria reveals she had taken the notebook from his pocket and hidden it to keep it away from the Germans.

The two stay overnight in an inn where Hannay explains the notebook's contents to Victoria. The encoded details start to feel real, deepening their resolve to thwart the German plot.

In the morning, Hannay and Victoria escape toward Harry's house. Hannay meets Sir George and reveals the notebook's contents, prompting Sir George to disclose that a defence committee meeting will be held at Stirling Castle to unveil naval plans, matching part of the double code.

Hannay and Victoria share a kiss, but the next morning he sees her leaving with a man, making him suspect betrayal. He travels to Stirling Castle to uncover the truth and advance the mission.

Victoria reveals she works for the Secret Service Bureau, and Kell and Wakeham explain they used Hannay to distract the Germans while keeping Victoria under observation. Hannay deduces that Sir George is the traitor and memorizes the naval plans.

They crack the remaining code, referring to the room where they were imprisoned and the 39 steps leading to a loch. The team locates the 39 steps at the castle and prepares to confront the German threat.

A shoot-out ensues as a German U-boat surfaces in the loch. Fisher, the Germans and Sir George fail to reach the submarine before it submerges, and surrender.

Together by the loch, Hannay and Victoria share a kiss, but she is shot by a surviving gunman and sinks into the loch. Hannay is left to confront the looming war and the unresolved questions about Victoria.

Four months later, at the start of World War I, Hannay stands at St Pancras railway station in an army officer's uniform, waiting to meet someone. Harry arrives with news that Victoria wanted to say goodbye, and Hannay glimpses her in the distance. Harry hints that she will see him after the war, adding a note of secrecy to their fate.