The Strange Love of Martha Ivers

On a rainy night in 1928, Martha Ivers tries to run away with Sam Masterson but is caught and brought back to her aunt. Walter O'Neil Sr. publicly presents his timid son, Walter Jr., as the one responsible for Martha's capture, while privately telling Martha he would never betray her. Martha defiantly asserts that her name is Smith, not Ivers.

During a power failure, Sam returns for Martha as Mrs. Ivers beats Martha's kitten with her cane. Martha wrestles the cane away and knocks her aunt down the stairs, killing her accidentally. When the power comes back, Martha lies about the death, and Walter Sr. and Walter Jr. agree to cover it for their gain, prompting Sam to leave town.

Walter Sr. makes it clear to Martha and Walter Jr. that he knows what happened but will go along with the lie as long as they benefit. The fake intruder murder becomes a tool to keep Martha under control and secure the family's position. Sam departs Iverstown, beginning a seventeen-year absence.

Seventeen years later, in 1946, Sam returns to Iverstown as a soldier and itinerant gambler. He visits his old home, now a boarding house, and meets Antonia 'Toni' Marachek, who has just been released from jail. They spend the night together in adjoining hotel rooms after Toni misses her bus.

Back in town, Toni is picked up for violating probation by not returning to her hometown. Sam asks Walter O'Neil Jr., now the district attorney, to use his influence to help Toni. Walter, convinced Sam has blackmail in mind, deepens the strain between them.

Seeing Toni close to Sam, Walter grows jealous and forces Toni to set Sam up. Sam is beaten and driven out of town, but he resists. Walter makes a half-hearted attempt to kill Sam himself, is easily disarmed, and in a moment of fear reveals his anxieties about blackmail—only to learn that Sam did not witness the 1928 death.

Through old newspapers, Sam learns that Walter Sr. had presented Martha's version of the 1928 murder to the police, using it to force Martha to marry Walter Jr. and convict the real killer posthumously. Walter Jr. is troubled by the past, but the other two remain firmly tied to the lie.

Sam spends an idyllic day with Martha, rekindling his old feelings for her while she laments that he left years ago and took away her chance at love and freedom. Their renewed connection exposes the unresolved hunger for control and escape from the past.

Walter, drunk and desiring to settle matters, arranges a meeting with Sam to confront the past, a plan Martha quickly learns about. The looming confrontation intensifies the town's simmering tensions and hidden loyalties.

In the mansion, Martha tries to protect herself as the truth closes in. Walter grabs a gun, but Martha turns the trigger on him by pressing his hand to shoot, dying as she proclaims her real name. Walter then shoots himself, and Sam arrives to witness the aftermath.

Outside, Sam races toward the mansion after the gunshot and then drives away with Toni, leaving behind the ruined Ivers empire. The couple shares a wary resolve as they head toward an uncertain future.

In the last moments, Sam remarks Lot's wife as a warning, while Toni asks whose wife he means, and he answers Sam's wife. The bitter, ironic note underlines the costs of the town's long-buried secrets as they drive away.