Scottie (Jimmy Stewart)’s Timeline and Summary
- Witnesses the death of a fellow detective who's trying to save him during a rooftop chase.
- Has to retire from the police force because of his crippling fear of heights.
- Meets Gavin Elster and agrees to go along with his plan to investigate his wife Madeleine, who's been acting strangely.
- Meets Madeleine and gradually falls for her.
- Tries to rescue her from the ghost of Carlotta Valdes, who seems to have possessed Madeleine.
- Takes Madeleine to San Juan Bautista in an attempt to get her to see that Carlotta's gone and has no power over her. This plan fails miserably.
- Witnesses Madeleine jump off the top of the bell-tower.
- Goes crazy with grief and guilt. Spends time in a mental institution.
- After his release, thinks he sees Madeleine all over town, everywhere she used to be.
- Meets Judy and sees Madeleine in her.
- Makes Judy over as Madeleine, creepily changing her style, hair, and makeup. Becomes her over-controlling boyfriend.
- Realizes that Judy's been lying to him when he recognizes Carlotta Valdes' jewelry and remembers that according to Elster, Madeleine had inherited these pieces.
- Puts two and two together, understanding finally that she and Elster have played out a horrible deception with him as the victim.
- Insists that Judy return with him to San Juan Bautista.
- Gets enraged and forces Judy to climb the stairs of the bell tower and listen to him recount his relationship with Madeleine.
- Demands to hear her confession of what she's done.
- Here climbing the bell-tower, he overcomes his fear of heights and seems to be finally cured after he forces Judy to confess.
- However, he witnesses one last death when Judy jumps, leaving him alone, staring down at her body.