The Great Lover

In a Paris hotel, a young American bragging about gambling wins is strangled from behind by an older man. The death is swift and shocking, and the killer leaves behind a signature napkin knot around the victim's throat. The evidence immediately points to the infamous card-playing killer C.J. Dabney, setting off the hunt.

American detective Higgins pleads with the French police not to arrest Dabney yet, hoping to trap him red-handed with irrefutable proof. He fears an early capture might let Dabney slip away. The decision creates tension as the killer remains at large during ongoing investigations.

Dabney, undeterred by the Paris murder, quickly looks for a new victim aboard a ship bound for the United States. His chosen mark is Freddie Hunter, a Ohio newspaperman escorting Boy Foresters. Dabney moves to ingratiate himself and to set up an opportunity to exploit Freddie.

As Freddie prepares to leave the ship, he literally bumps into Duchess Alexandria, a stunning young woman traveling with her father. He is drawn into her orbit and decides to linger in France rather than return home. The duchess travels with her bankrupt family hoping for a new start in the United States.

Dabney, who is also aboard, offers to introduce Freddie to Alexandria. Freddie pretends to be wealthy and immediately falls for her charm, feeding a fantasy of wealth and romance. Alexandria’s presence adds complication to Freddie’s schemes and the shipboard social dynamics.

Freddie engages in a card game with Grand Duke Maximilian. Dabney manipulates the match, dealing Freddie a winning hand and then subtly altering a card to turn Freddie's victory into a loss. Freddie remains unaware that he is being orchestrated by a master gambler.

Freddie is caught smoking by the troop leader, and the Boy Scouts threaten to reveal his secret. They pressure him to confess to Alexandria that he is not actually wealthy. The threat reframes Freddie’s relationship with Alexandria and his own self-image.

Freddie discovers that Alexandria has no money of her own, and she confesses she planned to ask him for $1,000. The revelation shatters Freddie’s illusion of wealth and complicates his romantic feelings. It also heightens the danger as Dabney’s manipulation continues unseen.

Freddie unexpectedly wins another hand and confronts Dabney, realizing the victory was orchestrated. Dabney responds with quiet menace, while Higgins’ earlier warnings echo in Freddie’s mind. The confrontation raises the stakes as the truth behind the wins comes to light.

Dabney murders Higgins and disposes of the evidence, then frames Freddie for the crime to the ship authorities. Higgins had warned Freddie to steer clear of Dabney, but the killer’s ruthlessness ensures Freddie becomes the prime suspect. The case shifts from gambler’s deceit to a deadly cover-up.

Dabney exploits Freddie’s alleged fraud to Alexandria and publicly humiliates him in the presence of the Boy Foresters. The humiliation strains Freddie’s relationship with Alexandria and deepens his resolve to prove his innocence. The social veneer aboard the ship begins to crack.

Freddie escapes the murder room and hides in a lifeboat as the ship holds a formal ceremony. The bugler plays the Last Post while the boy scouts assume he has jumped overboard. The cover story further isolates Freddie and raises the stakes for his eventual reveal.

Little Tommy locates Freddie hiding in the ship's dog kennels and goes to fetch Alexandria. She believes Freddie’s account and they begin a search for Higgins’s diary, the key piece of evidence that could expose Dabney’s treachery. The trio closes in on the truth as tension escalates.

Dabney corners Alexandria in Higgins's cabin and attempts to kill her, revealing his ruthless nature. Freddie is later lowered from the anchor rope and nearly devoured by a shark, but he survives and returns to the deck. He confronts Dabney, saves Alexandria, and the couple share a kiss in front of the witnesses.