Horror story set in 1930 when hanging was the norm for convicted murderers: Nine people involved in a recent murder trial are invited to dine at a forbidding old mansion on the pretext of hearing news to their advantage. They are escorted by a sepulchral butler into a large reception hall to await their host. The room has a log fire burning in the hearth of an enormous fireplace; food and drink abound. When the host fails to make an appearance they opt to leave the room but cannot; the only door has disappeared to be replaced by a solid steel shutter. They start to bicker, accusing one another. Suddenly a mysterious voice addresses them and transforms the gathering into a court of enquiry; an event that results in a horrendous climax to the evening...