Directed by Robert Florey, with screenplay by Austin Parker and Sheridan Gibney that was based on a story by Joseph Santley, this slightly above average pre-code drama stars Kay Francis, with Ricardo Cortez, Gene Raymond, John Halliday, Margaret Lindsay, and Frank McHugh.
Francis plays follies girl Peggy Martin, who's romantically pursued by wealthy Monte Van Tyle (Raymond) even though she's Lyndon Fiske's (Halliday) mistress. Both men attend her every show, Monte with his friend Chester Hunt (McHugh), who's interested in Peggy's blonde sextet co-worker Dolly. Eventually, the 'marrying kind' Monte proclaims his love for Peggy without ever inquiring about her past, her father had been a river-boat gambler shot for cheating at cards; they marry in a civil ceremony because his mother had disapproved. While they're on their 'around the world' honeymoon cruise, during which Monte learns about Peggy's gambling prowess and makes her promise never to gamble again, he has a big townhouse built for her on 56th Street; the year is 1905.
Years later, Peggy is established as a high society regular, hostess of entertaining parties in their home. Monte's mother Eleanor comes to call when she learns about her granddaughter, who's been given the same name. Eleanor apologizes and accepts Peggy; grandmother then gets to take care of her namesake sometimes too. One day, when Peggy has come to retrieve her daughter at Eleanor's, her mother-in- law 'introduces' her to a family friend, Lyndon, who is discrete about his prior relationship with Peggy. However, when Lyndon learns that he's dying, he begs Peggy to visit him while he convalesces. She finally agrees to visit him shortly before he's planned to travel abroad. Lyndon confesses that the one mistake he'd made in his life was not marrying Peggy, that he'd overestimated his influence over her. He begins to force himself on her, begging her to go to Europe with him. Peggy is upset and starts to leave when Lyndon pulls out a gun. She struggles with him trying to prevent him from committing suicide but the gun goes off, killing him anyway. Lyndon's butler rushes in to discover Peggy over his master's dead body, holding a gun. The facts of Peggy's past are printed in the newspapers and she's quickly convicted of murder and sentenced to 20 years.
While in prison, Peggy learns that Monte, whom she'd asked to never visit her again, had been killed during World War I. After serving her sentence, in 1925, Peggy returns to a busier New York City, where she learns from Mrs. Van Tyle's lawyer that she'd been left $5,000 on the condition that she never contact her daughter Eleanor. She agrees, goes to a beauty parlor for a make-over, and takes a cruise. On-board the ship, Peggy 'Stone' is approached by Bill Blaine (Cortez); she's standoffish but accepts his invitation to have a drink later. Peggy is warned by a member of the crew that Bill is a card-shark. Armed with that knowledge, Peggy is able to take Bill for everything he's worth in a card game. Later, however, she apologizes and accepts his offer to work together, business only, to fleece others across Europe. Eventually they return to New York where Bill offers Peggy a chance to join a friend of his, Mr. Bonelli in a speakeasy club with gambling upstairs; they think she'd be a sensation as a female dealer. Peggy is reluctant to join until she learns that her House on 56th Street is the location of the establishment.
One night while Peggy's dealing, a playboy named Freddy who'd been losing money convinces his married friend Eleanor Burgess, nee Van Tyle, to play even though she'd been warned by her husband never to gamble again. Apparently, reckless Eleanor had somehow inherited the gambling gene from her long absent mother, whom she'd been told was dead. Peggy, recognizing her daughter from a society newspaper photo, allows Eleanor to win $1,000 before she refuses to deal anymore. Eleanor complains to the manager, Bill, who orders her to get back the house's money. Peggy decides to teach Eleanor a lesson, hoping she can cause her daughter to never gamble again. Eleanor loses $15,000 by dawn before Peggy, Bill, and Freddy force her to quit. Bill holds the IOUs and, aware of who she is, tells Eleanor to come back later in the day, perhaps they can work something out. Peggy then urges Bill to tear up the IOUs; he finally agrees to talk to Bonelli about it. Later, of course, the owner refuses and when Eleanor arrives, Bill pressures her to pay what she owes. He threatens to call her husband and when Bill begins to call, Eleanor notices a gun in the desk drawer; she then shoots and kills Bill. Peggy, who'd been on her way upstairs, hears the shot, assesses the situation, tells Eleanor to wait outside the office, and then cleans up the crime scene, wiping away fingerprints and taking the IOUs from Bill's coat pocket.
Conveniently, Eleanor had been planning on going away with her husband on a cruise that night at midnight. So, Peggy gives Eleanor the IOUs and tells her to make the ship. After her daughter has left, Peggy locks the office door and then watches the clock that evening while working her table at the club. Bonelli comes upstairs to deposit some money in the safe and discovers Bill's body; since Peggy had tried to prevent him from entering the office, and had followed him in, Bonelli knows she's involved but she denies that Mrs. Burgess had anything to do with it. With that knowledge, Bonelli, who says he could have his boys take care of the body, effectively blackmails Peggy into accepting a permanent position in his employ at the club, in the house where she'd once promised her husband Monte that she'd never leave.
