Just as she's leaving the office one afternoon, Violet O'Gorman, young and pregnant, arrives seeking a (then illegal) abortion. Charlotte refuses but begins to have second thoughts after Violet leaves. She later discusses the incident with Lewis Ballard, a married lawyer with whom she's having a platonic affair. Charlotte then goes in search of the young woman only to learn that she may have been abducted. When Charlotte returns home, she's knocked unconscious and her purse is stolen. As other untoward events occur, Charlotte determines to figure out what’s going on.