The 1946 film "The Razor's Edge" is based on W. Somerset Maugham's 1944 novel of the same title. The film stars Tyrone Power as Larry Darrell, an American World War I veteran who spends ten years in travel and study trying to find the "meaning of life." At first he is pursued by his girlfriend Isabel who wants him to marry her, then she gives up and marries Gray, a millionaire bond trader for his money, and years later Larry and Isabel meet again in Paris. At one point Larry hands a large silver dollar sized coin to another man and asks him to hold it while suggesting to the man that the procedure will relax him and relieve his headaches.

Somerset Maugham narrates the prologue:

Attending the party are Somerset Maugham, Sophie MacDonald, Isabel Bradley, Gray Maturin, and Elliot Templeton.

Isabel is engaged to Larry Darrell, a World War I air force veteran. Sophie is her friend who is also engaged, Gray is a millionaire who wants Isabel, and Elliot is Isabel's American uncle who lives in Paris and prefers to associate with European royalty. Larry arrives and the pair go off together to talk.

Larry describes a horrifying war experience that has caused him to question the "meaning of life" which he plans to study. Isabel agrees to wait for him. Larry leaves for Paris to begin his studies. When Elliot finds that Larry doesn't plan to work in America and marry Isabel, he takes a dislike to him but plans to set him up in Parisian society, including introducing him to an "older woman." However, Larry prefers to associate with ordinary people. He doesn't have to work right away due to a small inheritance.

Larry handles some prop French paper money. After a year, Isabel and her mother visit Elliot in Paris. Isabel sees Larry and puts him to the question of marriage. He suggests that they live in Paris but she still wants him to move back to America. She breaks the engagement and returns his ring.

Isabel plans one more date with Larry before she returns to America. She really dresses up to meet him.

Isabel later tells Somerset that she planned to seduce Larry and later tell him that they have to get married, but decided not to go ahead with the project. Larry begins taking physical jobs and meets a Polish miner who was a priest.

They discuss Larry's studies and the miner suggests that Larry should visit India. After some time Larry arrives in India and visits a monastery or school.

The head teacher welcomes Larry to the monastery.

After spending some time at the monastery, the teacher sends Larry to a mountain top cabin to meditate for a while.

Later the teacher visits Larry and asks what he saw while there.

Larry explains:

The teacher tells Larry that it is time that he returned home to America.

In America the depression has started, but Elliot is still wealthy as his "friends in Rome" told him to sell his American stocks before the crash. Gray's bond business has failed, and he, Isabel, and their two children are living with Elliot in Paris.

Larry is in Paris and visits Gray and Isabel. Gray had a nervous breakdown after his business failure and has been having severe headaches which have kept him from going out. Larry suggest that he learned something in India which might help Gray. He takes out a large hexagonal silver dollar sized coin and hands it to Gray, telling him that it is an old coin from India.

Larry tells Gray to hold the coin and that he will unwillingly drop it.

Larry tells Gray that he will sleep for a short period and then wake up. It appears that Gray turns the coin over, showing both sides, but there may be a camera break at that time and only one side of the coin is shown.

Both sides of the coin appear to have the same design of a head facing right, similar to designs appearing on some ancient Greek coins. The coin is a studio prop coin as no real ancient Greek coin is the size of the one in the film.

While Larry was in India, Sophie, married and living in Chicago, was in an automobile accident which killed her husband and little girl. Sophie started drinking, her rich friends didn't want her around, and they shipped her to Paris. The group goes out to various Paris nightclubs and encounters Sophie in a rough club. Larry starts seeing Sophie and later tells Isabel that he is going to marry her. Larry manages to get Sophie to stop drinking. Isabel still loves Larry and announces to Somerset and others that she will stop the marriage because "Sophie is no good for Larry" and that she will start drinking again. She invites Sophie to her place, officially for a shopping trip.

Isabel then leaves Sophie alone with a bottle of liquor. Sophie is unable to resist the bottle, drinks all of it, leaves, and disappears. Larry searches for her and finds her in a dive or "opium den."

Sophie tells Larry to get lost and a couple of men throw him out. Some time passes and Larry and Somerset are informed by the police that Sophie has been found murdered. Larry figures out that Isabel was responsible for starting Sophie drinking again, and implies that she murdered Sophie. Larry tells Isabel that he is going back to America and tells Somerset that he plans to either drive a taxi or work as a mechanic.

Isabel meets Somerset and tells him that she plans to have Larry in America.

He tells her that it is unlikely that she will see Larry ever again.

Tyrone Power as Larry Darrell
Gene Tierney as Isabel Bradley
John Payne as Gray Maturin
Anne Baxter as Sophie MacDonald
Clifton Webb as Elliott Templeton
Herbert Marshall as W. Somerset Maugham
Director: Edmund Goulding
Writers: Lamar Trotti, W. Somerset Maugham (novel)