It was the tenth film to feature Sidney Toler as the title character, who is called upon to investigate the death of a suspected murderer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

[1][2] In the beginning of the film, detective Charlie Chan is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, along with his son, Jimmy, and the Rio chief of police, Chief Souto, to arrest singer Lola Dean, whom Chan suspects killed a man in Honolulu.

Lola visits the psychic, who puts her in a semi-comatose state using coffee and cigarettes laced with a special natural herb.

Later, Chan, Jimmy, and Chief Souto arrive at Lola’s house to arrest her, but instead find her dead in her room.

The three conclude that Lola was murdered, and spot many obvious clues which they realize were left there on purpose to throw them off.

Chan then informs Lola’s guests, who were there to celebrate her engagement, of her death, and brings in two suspects, the psychic and Paul Wagner.

Chan then finds similar scratch marks under one of the chairs at the dinner table where all of the guests had dined.

Jimmy asks to take Lilly back to Honolulu with him, but Chan tells him he has been drafted in the United States Army.