The movie takes place in a California hotel where a prominent lawyer named Amos Strickland is murdered. Due to empty threats made by Freddy (Costello) after Strickland caused him to lose his job, as well as Melton's accusations, Freddy soon becomes the number one suspect. After a pair of detectives place Freddy under house arrest, more dead bodies and incriminating evidence are planted in his hotel room, and a menacing swami (Boris Karloff) tries unsuccessfully to hypnotize him into killing himself.