In Long Island, New York, beautiful Elsa Carlyle is a
compulsive gambler. Her husband Jeffrey, a struggling
stockbroker, loves her despite her exorbitant expenditures at the
gaming tables. At the yacht club, Elsa overhears Hardy
Livingstone say the word "luck" just as she is about to toss the
dice, and on a hunch, she bets all her chips. She loses and
owes the club $10,000.
Later that evening, Elsa accepts Livingstone's
invitation to his house, and they motor over in his boat.
Livingstone, who has just returned from three years in the Orient,
shows Elsa his house, which is designed in an Oriental fashion.
He also reveals to her the cabinet of his "past," in which he keeps
dolls made in the likeness of his former lovers. The bases for
the dolls are stamped with his crest, which means "I possess."
Livingstone then attempts to give the dress of a Siamese princess to
Elsa to wear to the "milk fund" society ball, which he has offered
to host. Sensing hidden implications, Elsa refuses to take the
dress.
When Elsa goes home, she is unable to confess to
Jeffrey her debt, and he lets her know he is jealous of Livingstone
and does not want her to spend time with him. When Jeffrey's
friend Terrell tells them of a hot stock tip, Elsa is unable to
resist the temptation to earn more money and puts money she had been
entrusted with from the milk fund bazaar into the stock market.
Giving in to his apparent kindness, Elsa wears
Livingstone's princess gown to the ball, but is horrified when she
receives a phone call from Terrell that she lost all the money.
Overhearing her conversation, Livingstone offers to give her the
money. In exchange, he expects her to visit him, and be "a
little nicer" to him. Elsa is unwilling to confess her
troubles to Jeffrey and accepts Livingstone's check with which she
repays the milk fund the next day.
That night, Jeffrey arrives home elated, informing
her that the deal he has been working on succeeded and they are now
millionaires. She finally confesses to her gambling debt,
which Jeffrey has already paid. When she asks for another
$10,000, he reluctantly gives it to her, then secretly follows her
to Livingstone's. Elsa gives Livingstone the check and
believes her debt is paid, but Livingstone has already made a doll
in her likeness and intends to possess her. When she refuses,
he brands her with his crest and calls her a cheat because she
welshed on their bargain. Elsa shoots him and, horrified, runs
home.
Jeffrey finds Livingstone and takes the blame for the
crime. At the court trial, Elsa is unable to repress the truth
and shouts it out, then boldly displays her "tattoo" for all to see.
The indictment against Jeffrey is dismissed, and Livingstone, who
survived the shooting, is taken away for his crime against Elsa.
Later, Jeffrey urges Elsa to forget the horrible
incident, and she vows to play nothing but "double solitaire."