This tense Northwoods mystery originated (as did many other novels about the Canadian wilds) from the pen of James Oliver Curwood. Jeanne Marat (Zena Keefe) has a secret which keeps her from marrying her sweetheart, Bruce Cameron of the Royal Mounted Police (Robert Elliott). After she sends him away, things become clearer -- her father, Jacques Beauvais (Roy Gordon), mysteriously disappeared when she and her brother, Pierre (Jack Hopkins) were young children. After he vanished, the trading post's agent attacked their mother, who committed suicide rather than give in to him. The two orphans were raised by Indian Joe (Jack Drumier), and Pierre swore to track down the factor -- known, 20 years later, as Inspector Brandt (J. Barney Sherry) -- and get vengeance. Brandt, whose health is failing, is shot while confessing his crime to a priest, and Jeanne is accused. Cameron finds himself pursuing her and her brother, and when it looks like they won't be able to get away, Pierre claims he is the murderer. But he didn't do it, either -- Indian Joe confesses he did it so that neither Jeanne nor Pierre would be duty bound to kill Brandt. Cameron and Jeanne are free to be together at last.
by Janiss Garza
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