When newspaper editor Tony Hood publishes a private love letter written by a cabinet minister, he sets off a chain of events that will lead to his own doom.

Beatrice Dark is taken into custody. As both her husband and the Chronicle’s staff react to the awful shooting, Ivor seeks Beatrice to understand why she did it.

While Ivor begins assembling his defence, and Alice seeks out an old friend of Beatrice’s, Thomas commits an act of breaking and entering.

Alice reads Joe Dark’s private love letters and interviews his estranged daughter. Thomas seeks an urgent audience with Beatrice, unaware they are being observed.

Joe Dark’s resolve is beginning to crack, as Alice continues her damaging coverage. Ivor tries to coach Thomas for the upcoming trial, but the butler has other things on his mind.

As Alice and Ivor are both rocked by events in their private lives, Thomas is sent for a fateful rendezvous with a mysterious American visitor.

Ivor has his last meeting with Beatrice before the trial, while Alice discovers the connection between a dead man and the Darks.

With excited crowds surrounding the courthouse, Beatrice’s trial begins. Ivor clashes with Alice when she takes the witness stand.