Fran Celane feels her uncle, Edward Norton, is too restrictive as the executor of her father's spendthrift trust. He also wants her to wait 18 months until her 25th birthday before she gets married. Arthur Crinston, Edward Norton's attorney, arrives to meet with Mr. Norton but is told to return at 11pm. When he returns, they meet for a few minutes and as he is leaving, Mr. Norton asks him to take his secretary, Donald Graves, to pick up some papers. As they drive away, Mr. Graves looks back at the house and sees someone attack Edward Norton. They return to find Edward Norton dead and Rodney Gleason, Fran's fiance, is identified as the assailant. Rodney Gleason is accused of the murder.

Harry Marlow owns a florist business and wants to own a part of Mildred Kimber's orchid business but Mildred Kimber is not interested. So Harry Marlow makes an arrangement with a local club owner, Sam Lynk, to cheat Mildred's husband, Bob Kimber, out of his share of the business in a card game. Meanwhile an employee of Sam Lynk, Lola Florey, decides to help Mildred Kimber to get the shares of stock back from Sam Lynk. When Sam Lynk is found dead in his home, Mildred Kimber is accused of the crime after her prescription drug container is found in Sam Lynk's house.

Fay Allison is getting married in a few days to Dane Grover. Her roommate, Anita Bonsal, is having a clandestine affair with a married man, Carver Clement. When Aunt Louise arrives early the next morning to be with Fay, she finds Fay and Anita both appear to have been drugged. Louise calls her friend Perry Mason to help decide what to do. Perry and Della discover the key to another apartment in Fay's purse and go upstairs to investigate. They arrive to find Carver Clement dead in the apartment. Fay Allison is accused of the murder when the police find her fingerprints on a glass in the apartment.

Hollywood producer John Addison picks up an attractive young woman hitchhiker. Far from being innocent she turns out to be a blackmailer and a witness to a murder that Addison is charged with. Perry, as usual, is hired to get to the bottom of things.

Ed Davenport learns that a sandwich he requested to be tested by a lab contains arsenic and blames his wife Myrna. When he confronts her about his suspicions she denies it. He leaves for a business trip and falls ill. Dr. Renault is called to treat him at a motel where Ed Davenport later dies. Before he dies he claims his wife poisoned some candy. After locking the motel room the doctor calls the police. The police arrive to find the corpse missing. The police test the candy and indeed find arsenic. Subsequently Ed Davenport's body is found in a shallow grave. Myrna Davenport is accused of the murder.

While Martha Bradford is waiting for her appointment at a beauty parlour, she meets Rita Bradford who apparently is also married to Joe Bradford and lives at the same address. Joe Bradford is preparing for a business meeting in San Diego. He makes plans to meet his wife Martha but fails to show up. Joe Bradford is found dead on his boat the next morning and Martha Bradford is accused of his murder when her fingerprints are found on a candle located on the boat.

Perry Mason and Paul Drake are on a fishing trip when they spot a young woman named Sally Fenner being pursued by vicious guard dogs on an island estate. The only way Sally can avoid being chewed up by the dogs is to jump into the water and swim for it. Perry and Paul pull Sally out of the drink and Perry ends up defending her on a murder charge.

Robert Dawson confronts Albert Tydings, his partner, about $80K missing from Carol Stanley's trust account. Albert Tydings admits he embezzled the money and blackmails Robert Dawson to keep quiet or he will reveal some scandalous facts about Carol. Later, Carol calls and makes an appointment to meet Albert Tydings at his office to discuss the trust account. She arrives to find Albert Tydings dead. The next morning Perry goes to Albert Tydings' home and finds him there dead. Eventually the police determine Tydings body was moved from his office. The police accuse Carol Stanley when her car is reported seen at the office at the time he was murdered.

Arthur West, a disreputable private investigator, has found J. J. Stanley in a cheap motel. He knows Mr. Stanley and his partner Ned Bain were involved in the embezzlement of the Texas National Bank. He wants to blackmail Ned Bain into giving him money to keep quiet. Harriet Bain, Ned Bain's daughter, answers the call from Arthur West and agrees to meet him. After hearing a taped conversation between J. J. Stanley and Ned Bain talking about the blackmail offer, she hires Perry Mason. Ned Bain decides to pay and meets with J. J. Stanley. The next morning J. J. Stanley is found dead in Arthur West's hotel room. Harriet Bain is accused of the murder when her fingerprints are found on the murder weapon.

Della and Perry's dinner at a fancy French restaurant is interrupted by a phone call and an envelope containing $500.00 from a mysterious woman named Marian Fargo. She wants him to make an exchange for her: the money for some documents regarding her fugitive brother. Unbeknownst to Marion, her own husband is in on the blackmail scheme which is being masterminded by one Samuel Carlin. Marion's husband and Carlin both turn up dead but Marion, who has fled on a bus, has an eyewitness, Diana Maynard, who can provide her with an alibi for the murders. Unfortunately for all concerned, Ms. Maynard has only one good eye and may not be telling the truth about who she is.

When Albert Sanders is charged with the murder of dance hall girl, Kim Lane, Perry offers to defend him pro bono because he knows Sanders is down on his luck and still devastated over the accidental death of his wife and children eight years before.

During a terrible storm at sea, First Officer Jerry Griffin dumps a million dollars worth of goods into the sea in order to lessen the chances of his cargo freighter sinking. Once on shore, Jerry is hauled before a maritime court which holds him responsible for the loss of the cargo. Captain Bancroft's testimony can clear Jerry but he is murdered before he can give it. Now Jerry stands accused of that crime too. Perry and Paul try to set things right once again.

Naive secretary Janice Wainwright carries out boss Morley Thielman's orders and places a briefcase containing more than $100,000.00 in a train station locker. Then she waits for the arrival of Thielman's ex-wife but Lt. Tragg arrives instead with an arrest warrant for Janice on the charge of murdering her boss. It seems as though witness Fred Carlyle saw a woman's shapely shadow through the shades of Thielman's office window shortly before the murder occurred.Carlyle believes the silhuette belonged to Janice. Perry manages to get to the bottom of things once the courtroom proceedings begin.