Evelyn Brent's life and career were going quite well in 1928. Following her divorce from producer Bernard Fineman, she was happily living with writer Dorothy Herzog. The couple was often seen enjoying lunch at the Montmartre Caf9, and Brent had recently had a cabin built in the San Bernardino Mountains. The tiny brunette actress had wowed film fans and critics with recent appearances in the silent films The Underworld and The Last Command. She'd also been a sensation in Paramount's first dialogue film Interference. However, by the end of 1928 she was headed toward a quick, downward spiral, ending in bankruptcy, divorce, and occasional work as a film extra. The story of what happened is a complicated one laced with bad luck, poor decisions, and treachery.