After a jade vase is mentioned to him by Lisa Marcel, an interior designer, Clifford Ward steals it from a Chinatown shop.

Telephone operator Hazel Fong becomes the only hope police have of identifying the voice.

Lisa sees a photo of the stolen vase in the newspaper and immediately suspects Ward, who then adds her to his murder victims.

When he falls ill and phones a neighborhood pharmacy, the call is once again placed by Hazel, who recognizes his voice.

In 2014, a pristine 35mm print of the film was struck from the Columbia Pictures archives and subsequently exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.