Milwaukee, in 1920s: Stymied in her marriage to her wealthy but boorish husband Fred, sultry and seductive Dolly keeps her young "love slave," Otto, hidden away in her attic for years. But when Otto shoots Fred dead, she tries to pass it off as a robbery gone awry, a claim that doesn't sit well with Chief Detective Herman, who tenaciously pursues the case. She moves to Los Angeles, where she uses her ill-gotten insurance money to live the high life among the Hollywood fast set At one of her parties, she meets Herman, a prominent Los Angeles defense attorney, who is quickly smitten with the seductive newcomer. After a torrid affair, he proposes to her, who ecstatically accepts. All along, she keeps Otto a slave and a closely-kept secret in her life. But her seductive wiles may ultimately backfire on her, as the jealous Otto realizes that he would rather face the full penalty of the law than one more day of her manipulation and betrayal.