The Man from London

During a night at the port, Maloin witnesses a fight on the docks and sees a briefcase fall into the water. He climbs down from the viewing tower to recover the sodden cash and hides it instead of informing anyone. The recovered money becomes the hidden seed of the trouble that follows.

The morning after, Maloin goes to a tavern to play chess with the barkeep. On the way home he passes by the butcher's and sees Henriette working, which angers him. He also notices Brown watching him from below his apartment window, heightening the sense of danger.

Brown continues to scrutinize Maloin from the quay, signaling that the money and the crime will not stay hidden. The tension builds as the shoreline becomes a stage for pursuit and suspicion. The sense that someone is always watching grows stronger.

In the tavern, inspector Morrison from London discusses the theft with Brown and outlines a plan to recover the money quickly. He suggests that the theater owner Mitchell would pay generously for the swift return of the £55,000. Brown weighs his options as Morrison lays out the stakes.

That night Maloin drags Henriette from the butcher’s to the tavern to give her a drink, spending some of the hidden money on an expensive mink stole. Camélia’s fury grows as she cannot understand why their savings are being squandered. The family’s fragile balance begins to crack under pressure.

The next night, Morrison questions Maloin at the tavern about the previous events while news arrives of the drowned man’s body retrieved from the quayside. Maloin remains evasive, and the investigation tightens around him. The atmosphere thickens with moral and legal danger.

Henriette tells Maloin she found a man in their seaside hut, prompting fear. He orders her to stay quiet and then goes to the hut himself, unlocking the door and entering before re-emerging breathless. This moment marks a turning point as the truth closes in.

Minutes after entering the hut, Maloin returns, breathing hard, and then presents the briefcase to Morrison in the tavern, confessing that he killed Brown an hour earlier. Morrison accompanies him to the hut to witness the scene and continue the case. The dangerous web tightens as the truth surfaces.

Back at the tavern, Morrison prepares two envelopes with a small portion of the recovered money: one for Brown’s widow and one for Maloin, explaining that the case was self-defense. He returns the rest of the money to the widow and suggests the matter is now closed.

Morrison advises Maloin to go home and forget the whole affair. Brown’s widow receives her portion and tries to cope with the loss as the couple’s fragile life resumes a strained silence. The film closes with a stark, unresolved mood.

The final image lingers on Brown’s wife's expressionless face as the scene fades to white. The audience is left with the emotional aftermath and the cost of the events on a family already pushed to the edge.