Major Characters:

• The Shadow/Lamont Cranston
• Anatol Chevanic: A notorious jewel thief
• Peter Devlin: An special investigator for an insurance company
• Professor George Gilroy: A scientist who attempts to find the secret of resurrection.
• Renee Chevanic: Anatol's wife
• Jacques Chevanic: Anatol's brother

Featured Agents:

• Margo Lane
• Commissioner Weston
• Shrevvy

Minor Characters:

• Mrs. Porter
• Newspaper Man

Synopsis: (Warning! Contains spoilers!)
At the start, the listener hears the newspaper man announce a headline about a jewel theft. All clues point to one man: the notorious jewel thief Anatol Chevanic. The police expect an arrest in 24 hours.

Later, Weston is found interrogating Chevanic. He points out the evidence: a note warning police about the robbery, and a white gardenia that he always leaves behind as his signature. Chevanic remains clam in face of the evidence. In fact, the stolen gems were never recovered, and he has an alibi: he was 3000 miles away when the robbery occurred!

The listener now hears the newspaper man announce Chevanic's release for lack of evidence. Weston complains that Chevanic has given the police the slip three times, and that they're powerless in trying to apprehend him.

Suddenly, one day, Chevanic is murdered, and that is when this strange case begins...

Lamont, Weston, and a third man are at the morgue, where Weston points out the mortal remains of Chevanic. They discuss the deceased robber. Weston complains that the third man, Peter Devlin, a special investigator for the company that insured the stolen gems had passed all the work to the police. Insulted, Devlin scoffs at the police's inability to capture Chevanic. They start to argue, but Lamont manages to calm them down. It is revealed that Chevanic was stabbed to death with a sharp object; most likely a gem cutting tool used to cut the stolen gems. It was also discovered that Chevanic had a severed right hand when his body was found. Chevanic always wore gloves to hide his artificial hand, so no one knew. Weston concludes that this must be a two-person operation, since Chevanic stole the gems and someone else cut them. Devlin muses that if Chevanic had never got his hand cut off by a bandsaw as a child, he would have never gone into crime.

Suddenly, the three men hear someone enter the morgue. It is a man named George Gilroy. He has come to claim Chevanic's body, since Chevanic had willed it to him. Gilroy also has a court order to use the body for experiments. At once, Lamont recognizes him as Professor Gilroy, the scientist who "brings people back to life". Gilroy admits that he isn't successful in resurrecting a human being — yet, and that the press had sensationalized him and his work.

It has been some time later, and the listener now hears the newspaper man announce that Chevanic has returned from the dead to continue his thefts. The police are baffled.

Lamont, Weston, and Devlin are in attendance at a wedding reception. Devlin worries about the impending theft of jewels belonging to Mrs. Porter, a wealthy lady. His company is insuring her gems for $50,000, and a note from "Chevanic" warning about the gems' theft has been found. Weston believes that someone is impersonating Chevanic, and tells Devlin not to worry. Mrs. Porter appears, and tells the men that a note was pushed into her hand while she was in the ballroom. The note is supposedly from Chevanic, and contains his signature: a white gardenia. Weston decides to call Inspector Cardona and his men to guard the grounds. Lamont notes to Mrs. Porter that it was wise to not wear her jewels. To her horror, she realizes that her gems have been stolen from under her nose!

Riding in Shrevvy's cab, Lamont tells Margo all about Chevanic. Shrevvy joins in by telling them a story about a guy he knew that talked to himself. Suddenly, the cab almost hits another car. Soon after, Shrevvy finds a note in his cab addressed to Margo. It has a white gardenia in it. The note warns Margo to keep Lamont away from the Chevanic case. Lamont deduces that the occupant of the car that Shrevvy almost hit had thrown the note into the cab. He decides to investigate.

At Margo's apartment, Shrevvy argues with her over Lamont's request for him to guard her. Margo feels that she is all right and doesn't need a bodyguard. Shrevvy reluctantly leaves to pick Lamont up from Weston's office. After he has left, Margo suddenly finds another note from Chevanic, then discovers the man himself! Chevanic warns her for the final time to keep Lamont from investigating him. His warning is interrupted by a ringing phone. He assumes that it is Lamont and is right. Margo nervously tells Lamont that Chevanic is in her apartment. Lamont tells her to stall him until he can get there. Chevanic deduces Lamont's plan to keep him here, and leaves the apartment. Lamont decides to talk to Professor Gilroy. If the police had gotten nothing out of him during questioning, maybe The Shadow would have more luck.

The Shadow visits Gilroy in his lab. Gilroy is mocking the people who had laughed at his efforts for resurrecting a person. The Shadow confronts him about Chevanic. Gilroy admits that they have been progressing. When told that Chevanic is seen alive, Gilroy is surprised. According to him, the body is still here; Chevanic has not be resurrected. He decides to show The Shadow the body itself in the dissecting room. Upon arrival, they find that the body has mysteriously vanished.

At Weston's office, Weston is being grilled by the Governor about the jewelry thefts. Lamont and Margo drop by to ask him for permission to enter Chevanic's house. Weston has refused Lamont's request 20 times before. Stressed out by his inability to solve the case, Weston eventually gives him the keys to the house, hoping that Lamont will finally leave him alone.

At Chevanic's house, hanging over the river, Lamont and Margo find it still sealed by the police. Upon entering the house, Margo sees a woman at the window. The woman turns out to be Renee Chevanic, Chevanic's wife whom he had kept secret from the world. Lamont tells her that Chevanic had been murdered, and it surprises her. She insists that he is still alive since she was summoned here by him. Chevanic had placed an ad in the paper for her, using a secret code they both knew, telling her to meet him at the house. She had entered by a secret passage, thereby keeping the police seal on the front door intact. Mrs. Chevanic reveals that only two people knew that code. But before she can reveal who the other person was, she hears someone in the next room. Realizing who it could be, she rushes in and locks the door before Lamont and Margo can pursue her. Outside, they hear Mrs. Chevanic tell her husband to run away. Margo recognizes Chevanic's voice. Suddenly, Mrs. Chevanic screams, prompting Lamont to break down the door to help her. They find her dead and Chevanic gone. Examining the body, Lamont comes to the conclusion that she was murdered by a right-handed person. Chevanic was left-handed!

Lamont figures the hand is the key to solving the mystery. Then he remembers an offhand remark by Devlin. How did he know that Chevanic had his hand severed as a child? In fact, no one knew he had one hand until his body was found. Lamont tells Margo to call the police and tell them to surround Devlin's house.

At Devlin's house, Chevanic is looking at the gem cutting tool. Devlin is nervous. It seems he has gone too far with this conspiracy to look back. Chevanic is glad that he now has both hands; he can steal the gems and cut them all by himself. The Shadow confronts them both, revealing that Chevanic had a twin brother named Jacques. Jacques had murdered Chevanic and assumed his identity. Devlin, who worked for the insurance company that insured the gems, had given Chevanic brothers the plans about the jewels in return for a cut of the profits. Jacques had murdered his brother because he withheld some of the gems, then murdered Mrs. Chevanic because she will go to the police. Filled with guilt about his part in the thefts, Devlin decides to testify against him, but Jacques murders him with the cutting tool. Jacques defiantly tells The Shadow that the law can't touch him now.

Some time later, Jacques finds himself in court, with the jury finding him guilty. The judge asks him for his last words. Jacques is filled with remorse and regret. He is sentenced to hang.