The Pictures

The year is 1939, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios is celebrating its 15th anniversary, studio head Louis B. Mayer is at the top of his game, and The Wizard of Oz is about to premiere to eager fans. Not far from this glamorous setting a young woman is savagely murdered in West Hollywood, calling LAPD detective Jonathan Craine to the scene. Known to be Hollywood's inside man, Craine successfully pins the murder on a convenient ex-con. Within hours, a second tragedy strikes, introducing Craine to Patrick O'Neill, a young detective who is as straight as Craine is crooked. O'Neill's persistence in the investigation forces Craine to confront his corruption and question the road he has chosen. Craine's feelings are further complicated by the producer's widow, Gale Godwin, a beautiful and beguiling film star. As the body count climbs, there is mounting evidence that something very sinister is unfolding and Craine might be the only one who can stop it.