The celebrated comedy playwright Halfdan Berg has always been adored by the press, so he is shocked when his latest play is declared a resounding failure in the morning papers. To steady his nerves, he attends a party that evening, and here he meets Leonid Ivanoff, a tormented Russian artist who tells him about a demonic woman who haunts and hypnotises him. Before leaving the party, Ivanoff gives his keys to Berg, fearing he might ‘strike her down’ if he returns home and finds her there. Later t...