John "Scottie" Ferguson (James Stewart) is a retired detective whose career was ended by the onset of a paralyzing fear of heights. But when an old friend (Tom Helmore) hires Ferguson to follow his wife (Kim Novak), who has grown obsessed with an ancestor of hers, the assignment draws Ferguson out of his comfortable role as observer. Soon, a complex web of intrigue mingles with the detective's own fears to create a masterful exploration of fantasy and anxiety in Alfred Hitchcock's haunting tale of deception, madness and death.