 Eager to land a journalistic position, Adam White (Montgomery Clift) goes to work as an advice-giving newspaper columnist. His editor, Shrike (Robert Ryan), takes pleasure in browbeating his alcoholic wife Florence (Myrna Loy) for her past adultery, and assigning his employees journalistic jobs for which they have little aptitude or interest. Shrike goads Adam into meeting one of his correspondents, Fay Doyle (Maureen Stapleton), a teary, self-pitying woman who makes a play for him. Adam is torn between his loyalty to the newspaper and his girl Justy (Delores Hart).