Bedelia is newly married and on her honeymoon in
Monte Carlo with her husband, Charlie Carrington, in the autumn of 1938. She has a strong aversion to being photographed by her husband, claiming she is not photogenic. Spotting her in a sidewalk cafe, young painter Ben Chaney starts drawing a sketch of her; seeing this, she abruptly turns her head away. He encounters her husband and has a drink with the couple. When the husband notices a pearl ring, she claims it is a cheap piece of
fake jewellery, though Chaney knows otherwise. He was speaking to a jewellery store proprietor when she picked up the ring; the expert offered her 100,000 francs for the flawless black pearl. Chaney begins probing into her past. In reality a detective, he suspects that Bedelia's obsession with money has led her to dispose of more than one husband for the insurance money. Back in their mansion in England, Chaney is invited to begin a portrait. Carrington becomes ill. Dr McAfee, his physician, confines him to bed and, at Ben's urging, appoints a private nurse, Nurse Harris. Bedelia is told to sleep in a separate room and the nurse oversees everything Charlie eats and drinks. However Carrington's business partner, Ellen, has seen Ben passing money to the nurse, making her suspicious of what is going on. She says she is going to tell Charlie, but Ben makes her think again, as, over tea, he mentions that a friend from Edinburgh - a sea captain named Captain McKelvey - will be visiting soon, and Bedelia's reaction makes Ellen realize that there may be more going on than she thinks. Bedelia is desperate to be rid of the nurse, and a three-way argument begins over control of the household, the nurse, the housekeeper and Bedelia, and the nurse is dismissed. She goes to tell Ben what has happened. Bedelia arranges for the housekeeper to have an extra day off and go and stay overnight with her cousin, leaving her and Charlie alone in the house. She then tries to persuade Charlie to leave and go abroad, but he says he cannot just leave the business at short notice, and what would they live on if he did? She also tells him that Ben wants to harm her, and that he should not listen to anything he says. When he refuses to leave at short notice, Bedelia runs off in a snowstorm, but she crashes the car, and he brings her back. She tells Charlie that she is scared of losing him, but feels that she is not good enough for him. Ben comes to check on Charlie, who demands to know what he has done to Bedelia to make her so afraid of him. Ben reluctantly tells Charlie several background stories concerning Bedelia. These stories, shown as vignettes within the overall story, include a chemist in Edinburgh called McKelvey and a murdered husband, a tale in France where a wife killed her husband, and a Mr. Jacobs in Manchester, also killed. Chaney reveals himself as an investigator. He thinks Bedelia is a serial killer, motivated by large insurance policies. Charlie is furious at Ben, who leaves him, knowing that at least he has warned his friend as much as he can. Overnight, Charlie has much to think about, but in the morning, after a confrontation with his wife, she brings him round again, and he seems likely to forgive her. The housekeeper returns, bringing with her their groceries, which a neighbour helped her fetch, as the buses are not running because of the snow. She also brings Ben's groceries. Through the kitchen window, Charlie sees Bedelia doing something with the groceries, but she says she is just feeding the cat, Topaz, whom she dotes on. Charlie laughingly says Ben will not be able to eat his favourite smoked salmon now, and, to her horror, Bedelia sees that Topaz is eating the salmon from Ben's grocery bag. Her hysterical response, and finding a bottle of poison in her hand, finally makes Charlie realise that Ben was telling the truth. She runs to her room, and Charlie soon follows her. He says that she should start packing, and she is excited - until he tells her he isn't going with her, but that she is not going away alone. He tells her he knows she was trying to kill Ben, so Bedelia tries another tack; she first says she wants to give Charlie all her money, but he is disgusted at the thought of where the money came from. She then says she is very ill, and needs his help, and Charlie agrees that she is incurable and leaves the room. Bedelia then asks Mary the housekeeper to ask Ellen to lunch, so that Charlie will not have to eat alone, as she will not be there. When Mary has left, she looks down at the bottle of poison in her hand. ==Cast==