To Die For

Suzanne Stone arrives in Little Hope with a fierce dream of world-wide television fame. She marries Larry Maretto, despite his family's disapproval, and begins to lean on his restaurant to stabilize their finances. Her ambition sets her on a path toward a career at WWEN, where she hopes to climb the network ladder.

At WWEN she starts as an assistant and pursues every opportunity to advance. Through relentless persistence, she earns a promotion to handle the station's evening weather report. The growing attention and fame begin pulling her further from domestic life and from her husband’s expectations.

Suzanne visits a local high school to recruit subjects for her documentary Teens Speak Out. She immediately attracts two delinquents, Jimmy Emmett and Russell Hines, and befriends Lydia Mertz, a shy girl who admires her glamour. The project pulls the trio into Suzanne's orbit and sets the stage for manipulation.

Suzanne grows frustrated with Larry’s demands to quit her career and help at the restaurant. She seduces Jimmy and convinces him that Larry is abusive, promising a future together in California once he is dead. The plan to murder Larry begins to take shape in her imagination and schemes.

Lydia Mertz agrees to help Suzanne by procuring a gun, drawn into the conspiracy by Suzanne's charisma. She becomes an unwitting accomplice in the looming crime. The preparations escalate as the date of the deed approaches.

One night, while Suzanne delivers the evening weather report, Jimmy and Russell break into the Marettos' condo. Jimmy shoots Larry in cold blood, ending his life and transforming Suzanne's future. The crime is initially treated as a botched burglary.

Larry's death triggers an investigation that challenges Suzanne’s alibi. Police stumble upon a Teens Speak Out clip that implicates Suzanne’s involvement with Jimmy. The teens are swept into the case, and the investigation tightens around Suzanne.

Lydia agrees to converse with Suzanne while wearing a wire, and Suzanne inadvertently reveals her hand in the murder. She later argues the police entrapped her, and she is released on bail as the case proceeds. The charges against her are eventually dropped.

In a sensational turn, Suzanne fabricates a story portraying Larry as a cocaine addict who was murdered by Jimmy and Russell. The media feeds on the scandal as Suzanne’s fame increases. Jimmy and Russell are sentenced to life in prison, while Lydia is released on probation.

Larry's father, Joe Maretto, realizes Suzanne orchestrated his son's death and uses his mafia connections to plan her murder. The threat hangs over Suzanne as the public narrative around the case solidifies. The undertone of danger remains a constant presence in her life.

A hitman, posing as a movie studio executive, lures Suzanne away from her home and shoots her. Her body is concealed beneath a frozen lake, removing her from the public eye as her ascent collapses. The murder marks a brutal end to her pursuit of fame.

Lydia gives a televised tell-all interview, detailing Suzanne’s manipulation and the events surrounding the murder. The interview captures national attention and shifts the spotlight away from Suzanne’s downfall and toward Lydia’s unexpected prominence. The case remains a touchstone in broadcast history.

Larry's sister Janice practices figure skating on the frozen lake where Suzanne's corpse lies, providing a quiet, eerie coda to the saga. The lake becomes a grim symbol of the tragedy that unfolded, echoing through the community’s memory. The final image lingers as the town processes the crime.