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Adapted from a novel by Julian LaMothe, The Winding Stair stars Edmund Lowe as Paul, a fearless French Foreign Legion officer. Ordered to quell a native uprising at a far-away outpost, he discovers that the revolt is actually a subterfuge hatched by the Arabs, so that the city under Paul's command will be left unguarded and defenseless. Unable to convince his superiors that they're leaving themselves open to slaughter, Paul goes undercover, disguising himself as a native in order to infiltrate the rebel camp. While in Arab garb, our hero manages to rescue his sweetheart, cabaret dancer Marguerite (Alba Rubens), from suffering a ghastly fate at the hands of the villains. But even though Paul also manages to prevent the enemy attack, his superiors assume that he's deserted, and drum him out of the Legion. Only by serving valiantly in WWI is Paul able to redeem himself in the eyes of his country. "Winding" is right: this one has more plot twists than a TV soap opera.