Suspense drama after the murder of a beautiful actress, Leila. Her sister, Elizabeth, also a beautiful actress, though not as famous as Leila, is the main protagonist trying to discover who committed the crime. All the obvious suspects end up in a luxurious health resort a week before the trial of the main suspect, along with Elizabeth, who is invited by an old friend, presumably to rest, but the real reason is unclear.
Leila and Elizabeth grew up in a dysfunctional home, with an alcoholic mother who has a continuous stream of boyfriends. Leila and Elizabeth have different fathers. Leila has obviously been sexually abused, and at the age of 19 runs away with Elizabeth when one boyfriend attempts to abuse Elizabeth, who was 8 years old. This period is dealt with very briefly, as well as their arrival in New York, where Leila crawls her way up to become a famous actress. She goes through two superficial marriages, and at the time of the murder had been with her current boyfriend for three years.
The boyfriend, Ted, is the main suspect. He runs a multi-million (now billion) dollar hotel construction business. Most of the suspects are after wealth and/or fame and live off people like Leila and Ted. There are a couple of references to sex but no scenes or descriptions. Thanks to Leila’s many sacrifices, Elizabeth seems to have lived a clean life, has worked hard to get to her current situation as a successful actress, and has many virtues.