In The Vortex, Coward explores the darker side of the cocktail party set. Emotional blackmail, drug abuse and shattered relationships are minutely observed in this disturbing, early piece from a playwright whose sharp eye was usually more turned towards the light.

A businessman hires a marriage bureau when his wife dies from a sudden illness and is delighted to find himself paired up with the beautiful Clara. Despite seeming like the perfect wife, Clara is in fact a witch and has nothing but evil intentions for her new husband.

Honeymooning in Bavaria, a young couple becomes stranded and is forced to stay the night in the area. Doctor Ravna, owner of the impressive chateau that sits imposingly above the village, invites them to dinner that evening. Their association with Ravna and his charming, beautiful family is to prove disastrous.