The 39 Steps

A man gets embroiled in a murderous plot when on holiday

Richard Hannay, a Canadian rancher on vacation in England, attends a music hall performance by Mr. Memory; in the midst of the show, shots ring out and Richard flees the theater. Moments later, a terrified woman begs Richard to help her; she tells him that she's a British spy whose life has been threatened by international agents waiting outside. Richard is certain that she's mad until she reappears at his door in the morning, near death with a knife in her back, a map in her hand, and muttering something about 39 Steps.