Mrs. Donnelly hires Jeff to investigate attempts on the life of her starlet daughter, Kay Donnelly. Mrs. Donnelly does not want Kay to know that he's been hired to take her focus away from from the Starlet of the Year Award being handed out by the Hollywood Film Club, Kay highly expected to win. The Club also owns and operates a rooming house for aspiring actresses where Kay and most of the other girls vying for the award live, and where the award ceremony will be held. Mrs. Wetherby, who manages the rooming house and who the girls refer sarcastically to as the Duchess, has managed to get Rhonda Saxon, last year's winner, and her current beau, actor Derek Rand, to present the award. Mrs. Donnelly doesn't know why anyone would want to kill Kay, who works hard at her craft to get ahead, unlike someone like her roommate, Paula Harding, who schmoozes and networks instead. And further unlike Kay who has some recent success, another girl, Ellie Hayes, hasn't had a part in some time despite working hard and being talented like Kay, is therefore behind in rent and may be kicked out of the house by Mrs. Wetherby. Some secrets kept by Mrs. Wetherby and by Kay herself may provide some keys to what's going on.
—Huggo