A small-town gambler is drawn into romantic manipulation, revenge, and a deadly Chicago feud.
Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases
A Crapshooter Enters Chicago
A small-town crapshooter leaves home to seek his fortune in Chicago. He becomes involved with two professional high-rolling gamblers who treat him as a pawn.
Key Events
Small-Town Gambling Life — A small-town crapshooter seeks a larger future through gambling.
Location: A small town
Journey Toward Chicago — The gambler leaves his small-town life and heads toward Chicago.
Location: Road to Chicago
Arrival in Chicago — Chicago becomes the setting for the gambler's attempt to seek his fortune.
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Meeting High Rollers — The newcomer encounters two professional high-rolling gamblers.
Location: Chicago
Becoming Their Pawn — The professional gamblers use the newcomer as a pawn in their affairs.
Location: Chicago
Lorry's Revenge Takes Shape
Lorry Dane, an embittered stripper married to George Cole, develops a revenge scheme involving the newcomer and the gamblers. The newcomer's lack of control over the plan increases the danger.
Key Events
Becoming Their Pawn — The professional gamblers use the newcomer as a pawn in their affairs.
Location: Chicago
Lorry Dane Introduced — Lorry Dane is established as an embittered stripper married to George Cole. Characters: Lorry Dane, George ColeLocation: A strip joint
A Marriage Under Strain — Lorry's bitterness creates tension within her marriage to the strip-joint owner. Characters: Lorry Dane, George ColeLocation: A strip joint
Revenge Scheme Begins — Lorry cooks up a revenge scheme involving the newcomer and the gamblers. Characters: Lorry DaneLocation: Chicago
Pawn Drawn Deeper — The gambler becomes increasingly entangled in Lorry's revenge plan.
Location: Chicago
Two Dangerous Romances
The newcomer becomes involved with Lorry Dane and Aggie Donaldson. The two romances create emotional conflict while the revenge plot continues to develop.
Key Events
Pawn Drawn Deeper — The gambler becomes increasingly entangled in Lorry's revenge plan.
Location: Chicago
Meeting Aggie Donaldson — Aggie Donaldson enters the story as the described nice girl. Characters: Aggie DonaldsonLocation: Chicago
First Romantic Entanglement — The gambler becomes involved in a torrid romance with Lorry Dane. Characters: Lorry DaneLocation: Chicago
Second Romantic Entanglement — The gambler also develops a romance with Aggie Donaldson. Characters: Aggie DonaldsonLocation: Chicago
Romantic Double Bind — The two romances place the gambler in a complicated emotional situation. Characters: Lorry Dane, Aggie DonaldsonLocation: Chicago
Accusation and Escalation
Phil Carpenter becomes central after Edwards accuses him of causing his blindness. The dispute expands into a deadly feud involving Carpenter and George Cole.
Key Events
Romantic Double Bind — The two romances place the gambler in a complicated emotional situation. Characters: Lorry Dane, Aggie DonaldsonLocation: Chicago
Edwards Accuses Carpenter — The gambler accused by Edwards becomes central to the escalating feud. Characters: Phil CarpenterLocation: Chicago
Blindness Accusation Revealed — Edwards blames Carpenter for causing him to lose his eyesight. Characters: Phil CarpenterLocation: Chicago
Three-Way Feud Forms — The feud expands into a deadly conflict involving Edwards, Cole, and Carpenter. Characters: George Cole, Phil CarpenterLocation: Chicago
Revenge Meets Feud — Lorry's revenge scheme becomes entangled with the violent feud surrounding her husband. Characters: Lorry Dane, George Cole, Phil CarpenterLocation: A strip joint
Caught in the Deadly Feud
The revenge scheme and the three-way feud converge around the newcomer. He is caught between the conflicting parties and nearly loses his life.
Key Events
Revenge Meets Feud — Lorry's revenge scheme becomes entangled with the violent feud surrounding her husband. Characters: Lorry Dane, George Cole, Phil CarpenterLocation: A strip joint
Cullen Caught Between Enemies — The gambler is caught in the middle of the connected revenge plot and feud. Characters: Lorry Dane, George Cole, Phil CarpenterLocation: Chicago
Life-Threatening Feud — The deadly feud nearly costs the gambler his life. Characters: Lorry Dane, George Cole, Phil CarpenterLocation: Chicago
Aftermath of Entanglement — The revenge scheme, romantic entanglements, and deadly feud define the story's final state. Characters: Lorry Dane, George Cole, Phil Carpenter, Aggie DonaldsonLocation: Chicago
Story Breakdown
Small-Town Ambition — The central gambler begins with modest circumstances and a desire to seek his fortune.
Crapshooter Origins — He is introduced as a small-town crapshooter.
Chicago Departure — He heads to Chicago in pursuit of opportunity.
Chicago Gambling World — Chicago introduces the newcomer to professional gamblers and a more dangerous social environment.
High-Roller Encounter — He meets two high-rolling professional gamblers.
Pawn of Gamblers — The gamblers use him as a pawn.
Lorry's Revenge — Lorry Dane's bitterness and revenge scheme connect the newcomer to the wider conflict.
Embittered Wife — Lorry is presented as George Cole's embittered wife.
Scheme Takes Shape — She devises a revenge plan involving the newcomer and the gamblers.
Romantic Entanglement — The central gambler becomes involved in two contrasting romances.
Lorry Romance — He enters a torrid romance with Lorry Dane.
Aggie Romance — He also becomes romantically involved with Aggie Donaldson.
Blindness Accusation — An accusation against Phil Carpenter intensifies the story's violent tensions.
Carpenter Blamed — Edwards accuses Carpenter of causing his blindness.
Conflict Expands — The accusation becomes part of a deadly feud.
Deadly Three-Way Feud — The revenge scheme intersects with a feud involving Edwards, George Cole, and Phil Carpenter.
Cole and Carpenter — George Cole and Phil Carpenter are positioned as opposing figures in the feud.
Gambler Endangered — The central gambler is caught in the middle and nearly loses his life.
It is 1957. J.C. Cullen is a young man from a small town, with a talent for winning at craps, who leaves for the big city to work as a professional gambler. While there, he breaks the bank at a private craps game at the Gem Club, owned by George Cole, and falls in love with two women, one of them Cole's wife.
