Character Relationship Map: Crossroads

Characters

• Michelle Allaine (played by Claire Trevor) — supporting

  A glamorous nightclub chanteuse and David Talbot's alleged former lover. She identifies him as Jean Pelletier, claims he betrayed his former associates, and uses a locket as supposed evidence of their...

• Henri Sarrou (played by Basil Rathbone) — supporting

  A manipulative witness who first saves David Talbot during the trial by presenting evidence that Jean Pelletier died in an African hospital. He then blackmails David, claims he is Pelletier, and press...

• Madame Pelletier (played by Margaret Wycherly) — supporting

  An aged woman presented to David as his mother after Michelle Allaine gives him her address. She denies that David is her son, although her behavior suggests otherwise. The apparent mother is later ex...

• Dr. Alex Dubroc (played by Sig Ruman) — supporting

  The psychologist for the defense during David Talbot's identity trial. By questioning Dr. Andre Tessier, he exposes the uncertainty of the amnesia diagnosis and suggests that David may have invented i...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Dr. Alex Dubroc → Michelle Allaine (Professional Defense Participants) — Both are associated with the defense's courtroom effort, although their direct interaction is not specified.

  Dr. Dubroc appears as the psychologist for the defense, while Allaine is introduced on behalf of the defense as a witness.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Michelle Allaine → Madame Pelletier (Alliance Fraud Association) — Allaine is connected to the staged family evidence used against the diplomat.

  The plot identifies Allaine as one of the conspirators while an actress is employed to impersonate Madame Pelletier.

• Henri Sarrou → Madame Pelletier (Alliance Fraud Association) — Sarrou uses the staged mother figure to strengthen his extortion plot.

  The plot reveals that Sarrou is involved in employing an actress to play Madame Pelletier as part of the identity deception.

• Michelle Allaine → Henri Sarrou (Alliance Criminal Collaborators) — They cooperate in an elaborate blackmail scheme involving false identity evidence.

  The plot states that Sarrou and Allaine confer together and participate in a fraud designed to pressure the diplomat for money.

Story Analysis

An identity mystery becomes a blackmail conspiracy before a carefully arranged trap reveals the truth.

Plot Progression

1. A Debt From The Past — A newly married diplomat receives an extortion demand based on an alleged criminal past. The resulting trial turns his identity and amnesia into public questions.
2. Witnesses Of Identity — Michelle Allaine identifies the diplomat as her former lover, while Henri Sarrou supplies documents that temporarily disprove the accusation. The courtroom victory only postpones the identity crisis.
3. Blackmail In The Shadows — Sarrou and Allaine separately threaten exposure and present increasingly disturbing evidence. A supposed mother and a staged family history deepen the deception.
4. The Ministry Trap — An attempted escape leads to a plan to steal government funds from a ministry safe. The planned robbery becomes an ambush arranged to expose the conspirators.
5. Proof In The Photograph — At headquarters, a confession and a sudden recantation shift the case again. A comparison between a passport photograph and a locket image finally destroys the fraud.