Character Relationship Map: Rough Shoot

Characters

• Cecily (played by Evelyn Keyes) — protagonist

  Robert Taine's wife who becomes unexpectedly entangled in a spy hunt. She accompanies her husband to key events, impersonates an enemy agent's wife, steals a victim's briefcase on a train, and ultimat...

• Sandorski (played by Herbert Lom) — supporting

  Polish operative working for British military intelligence. He recruits Robert Taine to help intercept a spy ring stealing atomic secrets, successfully captures the target Lex through impersonation an...

• Randall (played by Roland Culver) — supporting

  British government official who verifies Sandorski's credentials and directs Robert's cooperation. He coordinates the London operation, listens to Cecily's confession, and ultimately clarifies the Rei...

• Reimann (played by Denis Lehrer) — supporting
• Hiart (played by Marius Goring) — supporting

  Foreign spy who coincidentally mortally wounds the same man Robert Taine shoots. He coordinates a landing beacon operation, pursues the protagonists to London, and is ultimately killed by a booby-trap...

• Hassingham (played by Frank Lawton) — supporting

  Local major landowner and Magda's husband. A drunkard who remains unaware of his wife's espionage activities. His identity is later impersonated by Robert and Cecily to facilitate the spy capture oper...

• Tommy (played by Robert Dickens) — minor
• Mrs. Powell (played by Megs Jenkins) — minor

Canonical Relationships

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

• Mrs. Powell → Randall (Professional Message Contact) — Mrs. Powell serves as a practical communication link to Randall.

  On instruction, Mrs. Powell contacts Randall and asks him to call off Scotland Yard.

• Sandorski → Randall (Professional Government Operative) — Randall authorizes and coordinates Sandorski's mission.

  Randall verifies Sandorski's identity as a Polish operative working for British military intelligence and directs cooperation with him.

Story Dynamics

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

• Tommy → Hiart (Narrative Unwitting Information Source) — Tommy unintentionally contributes information useful to Hiart's search.

  Diss obtains information about the unusual houseguests from Tommy, helping Hiart's side locate the people involved in the operation.

• Tommy → Mrs. Powell (Social Family Associate) — Tommy is connected to Mrs. Powell through the Powell household.

  Diss learns about the unusual houseguests from Tommy Powell, who is identified as Mrs. Powell's son.

• Hiart → Hassingham (Unknown Exploited Cover) — Hassingham's household and social position provide cover for the espionage activity.

  Hassingham is the local major landowner whose identity is used by Robert and Cecily, while his wife is involved with enemy agents without his knowledg...

• Cecily → Hassingham (Unknown Impersonator) — Cecily uses Hassingham's identity as part of the counter-espionage deception.

  Cecily and her husband impersonate the Hassinghams while transporting the captured spy and maintaining the cover operation.

• Cecily → Reimann (Narrative Indirect Witness) — Reimann's death draws Cecily into the espionage investigation.

  Cecily learns that her husband was involved in Reimann's death and later confesses this fact to Randall at the train station.

• Hiart → Reimann (Conflict Mortal Attacker) — Hiart is ultimately revealed to be responsible for Reimann's fatal wound.

  The plot states that Hiart simultaneously shot Reimann, mortally wounding him, while another shooter believed he had caused the death.

• Sandorski → Hiart (Conflict Enemy Operative) — The two men operate on opposing sides of the spy operation.

  Sandorski impersonates Hiart during the disrupted aircraft landing operation and later pursues Hiart and his associates in London.

• Cecily → Randall (Narrative Informant) — Cecily ultimately provides Randall with a crucial confession.

  At the train station, Cecily makes contact with Randall and admits that her husband killed Reimann. Randall later explains the truth of the shooting t...

• Cecily → Sandorski (Alliance Operational Ally) — Cecily becomes Sandorski's civilian ally in the counter-espionage operation.

  Cecily accompanies her husband and Sandorski to the field where an enemy agent is expected to land. She later helps maintain the impersonation operati...

Story Analysis

A mistaken shooting becomes entangled with a British counter-espionage operation and ends with the truth about the death exposed.

Plot Progression

1. A Body Beneath the Shrub — A shooting in the Dorset countryside leaves Reimann mortally wounded and his body concealed. The incident draws an unsuspecting household into a larger espionage operation.
2. The Beacon Trap — Sandorski is authenticated and recruits help to stop the theft of atomic secrets. A deceptive beacon operation enables the capture of the visiting scientist.
3. Evidence on the Road — The discovery of Reimann's body threatens the operation while investigators examine physical evidence. The group races toward London as Hiart searches for them.
4. The London Pursuit — Cecily confesses the shooting to Randall and takes the scientist's briefcase on the train. The captured scientist escapes briefly after Hiart intervenes at the London station.
5. The Explosive Truth — Randall and Sandorski arrest the scientist and his contact at the wax museum. Diss is shot, Hiart dies through the booby-trapped briefcase, and Randall clarifies the original killing.