The Big Sleep Summary

On a gloomy mid-October morning, Philip Marlowe, a hardened yet honorable private detective, is enlisted by an elderly, frail General Sternwood. His mission is to handle Arthur Gwynn Geiger, a likely bisexual man involved in pornography who is blackmailing the General with compromising photos of his daughter, Carmen Sternwood. Concurrently, Marlowe becomes embroiled in the mystery of the General's missing son-in-law, Rusty Regan, who was married to Vivian, Sternwood's elder daughter.

Marlowe's investigation leads him to Geiger's storefront, a porn ring masquerading as an antiquarian bookstore. As he stakes out the establishment, he follows Geiger to his residence where Carmen also arrives. Events take a drastic turn when photos are taken of Carmen, causing her to scream. Three gunshots are heard from inside Geiger's house, and Marlowe discovers Geiger dead with Carmen, drugged and undressed, nearby. The murder of Geiger sets off a chain reaction resulting in the deaths of Owen Taylor, the Sternwoods' chauffeur who was infatuated with Carmen, and Joe Brody, who had plans of usurping Geiger's shady business.

Marlowe later uncovers that the string of murders are interconnected, with Joe Brody being murdered by Carol Lundgren who was Geiger's lover, as he believed Brody had killed Geiger. As the case unravels, Marlowe also discovers that Rusty Regan was not involved in the blackmailing scheme as suspected, but was actually killed by Carmen. Despite the public exposure of the blackmail plot, Marlowe continues to dig deeper, leading him to Harry Jones, a man with crucial information about Mona Grant, another key player in this convoluted scenario. With Mona's help, Marlowe manages to escape the clutches of Eddie Mars's henchman, Lash Canino, and eventually uncovers the truth about Regan's demise. In the aftermath of the events, Marlowe pledges to keep the details of Regan's murder hidden from the General to protect him, and the narrative closes with Marlowe contemplating the concept of death.