One Step to Eternity

Francois Roques, a power-and-money-mad editor of a Paris newspaper (who justifies his actions by calling attention to his poverty-stricken childhood), invites four women to a housewarming at his penthouse apartment. He plans on one of them to meet death by means of a loose railing on the balcony. The invitees are: Constance, Francois' first wife, whose love and integrity also stood in the way of his schemes; Vera Volpone, his second wife, from whom he is seeking a divorce, and who, with the aid of her lover, is blackmailing Ffancois; Maggy, his mistress who aids him in his illegal transactions; and Cecile, his fiancee, who is pregnant by another man. The women arrive, tension overwhelms them and the host, three of the women depart...and Francois is alone with his intended victim. Despite a misleading Review/Comment on this site-page, the keyword is "intended."