Aspiring actress Julie Greer is talking to someone on the phone when there is a knock at the door. She puts the phone down and answers the door. A person, who we don't see but who Julie obviously knows, enters. She tells the person to quit and leave. The person attacks and strangles her. Julie's last words are to repeatedly scream out ""George Townsend"". Julie's body is discovered by her roommate Ann Farmer. Millionaire police captain Amos Burke, with the assistance of fellow officers Phil Winslow and Joe Nolan, investigate the case. A little black book containing the names of many men, whom Julie may have had affairs with and dumped over the years, is found. The names include: Rex, the singing cowboy star of a TV series; Dr. C.Z.