A woman arrives at a strange motel, having arranged to meet her lover. There she encounters Norman (Perkins), seemingly controlled by his mother. She decides to take a shower...
New York City ad executive Roger O. Thornhill (Cary Grant) is pursued by ruthless spy Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) after Thornhill is mistaken for a government agent. Hunted relentlessly by Vandamm's associates, the harried Thornhill ends up on a cross-country journey, meeting the beautiful and mysterious Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint) along the way.