Eager to land a journalistic position, 嗄dam White goes to work as an advice-giving newspaper columnist. His editor, Shrike, takes pleasure in browbeating his alcoholic wife Florence for her past adultery, and assigning his employees journalistic jobs for which they have little aptitude or interest. Shrike goads 嗄dam into meeting one of his correspondents, Fay Doyle, a teary, self-pitying woman who makes a play for him. 嗄dam is torn between his loyalty to the newspaper and his 女孩 Justy.