The Big Sleep

Private detective Philip Marlowe is invited to General Sternwood's stately home in 1970s England to learn who is blackmailing him. Sternwood hires Marlowe to uncover the blackmailer and protect his family. The case unfolds into a web of secrets surrounding the Sternwood clan.

Inside the mansion, Marlowe meets Charlotte, the old man's spoiled daughter, and Camilla, the younger, wilder sister. He senses trouble behind their polished manners and realizes the case will be more personal than expected. The encounter establishes the tense dynamic at the heart of the investigation.

Marlowe begins tracking Arthur Geiger, a pornographer whose activities are entangled with the blackmail. His clues lead him to Agnes Lozelle, Geiger's employee, and to Joe Brody, a man connected to Agnes. The investigation expands beyond a simple extortion plot.

Marlowe finds Camilla at the scene of Geiger's murder, where she has posed for nude photographs. He safely takes her back to the Sternwood residence and leaves her in Charlotte's care. The discovery deepens Marlowe's concern about Camilla's stability.

Back at the crime scene, Eddie Mars, a gambler who owns the house where Geiger's body was found, interrupts the investigation. Mars's wife Mona Grant has vanished, and rumors tie her disappearance to Charlotte's gambling debts. Marlowe realizes the case is tangled with Mars's leverage over the Sternwood family.

Camilla tries to reclaim photographs of her that are now in Joe Brody's possession. Marlowe intervenes, but Brody is shot and killed by an unknown killer, leaving the motive unclear and the photograph's fate unresolved.

Harry Jones comes to Marlowe with a proposition and reveals he is working with Agnes Lozelle, who is willing to sell information about Mona's whereabouts. The new lead threads through the web of deceit surrounding Mona and the Sternwoods. Marlowe prepares to pursue this lead.

On the night Marlowe intends to meet them, Lash Canino, a hit man working for Eddie Mars, poisons Harry Jones. The assassination removes the immediate source of information and complicates Marlowe's pursuit. The episode propels Marlowe to press on despite the danger.

Marlowe pays Agnes for Mona's address and tracks Lash Canino to a remote garage. There he finds Mona, kept as leverage, and frees her during a tense moment when Canino is distracted. The rescue marks a turning point in the case.

In a gunfight, Marlowe kills Canino, ending the immediate threat. Mona's safety is secured, but the darker underbelly of the Sternwood affair remains. Marlowe exits the scene with a wary resolve.

Camilla asks Marlowe to teach her how to use a gun to protect herself. He leads her into the woods near the ruins of a Roman castle and sets up an empty can as a target. She fires the gun repeatedly, but the blanks leave her furious and unstable.

Marlowe uncovers that Camilla murdered her sister's husband, Rusty Regan, and that Charlotte helped cover it up with Eddie Mars's assistance. The revelation shatters the family’s facade and deepens the danger surrounding them. Marlowe confronts Charlotte with the truth.

Marlowe tells Charlotte that Camilla must be hospitalized, acknowledging the gravity of the truth. He leaves the Sternwood estate, hoping General Sternwood never learns the full story. The case ends with Marlowe stepping away from the dangerous world around the Sternwoods.