 When the famous advertising executive Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney) is found dead in her apartment killed by a shotgun on a Friday night, Detective Lieutenant Mark McPherson (Dana Andrews) is in charge of the investigation. He interviews the prime suspects and friends of Laura: the snob and arrogant journalist Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb) who promoted Laura at the beginning of her career and fell in love with her; and her fiancé, the playboy Shelby Carpenter (Vincent Price). While investigating Laura s past through her diary and personal letters, Det. McPherson falls in love with her.