The basic plot, which has been used many times in the movies, as well as filmed under its own name, is that of the novel "The Wings of the Dove" by Henry James.
Fans of The Lost Weekend (1945) or The Blue Dahlia (1946) may think they recognize the actress playing Helene Anderson (Constance Dowling) here. That is because she is similar, in both appearance and mannerisms, to Doris Dowling from those movies, and is Constance's younger sister by three years.