Edith and John Maitland will allow David Sterling to marry their daughter Helen as soon as he earns five thousand dollars, so David tries to sell one of his inventions to Simon Baird for that amount. Simon, unable to make up his mind, is found murdered the next day, and David is arrested with five thousand dollars of Simon's money in his possession. At the trial, Edith confesses to the murder, saying that Simon had wronged her years before, and that she took his money and gave it to David so that he could marry Helen. David refutes this testimony, though, and claims to be the murderer himself. In the end, the audience must decide for itself the identity of the killer.