Walte r Willia ms ( Brian Donl evy) is a take-charge ca ptain of industry who has wo rked his w ay up i n a San Fr ancisco st eel c ompany from a po sition as a sheet metal worker. He loves his wife Ir ene (Helen Walk er) very much and they have planned a vacation drive together. Irene cancels at the last minute claim ing a toothache, but asks that Walter dri ve her cousin J im Torranc e (Ton y Barr ett) as far as Illinois. Walter agrees and he and Jim take o ff together but later Jim knocks W alter unc onscious and takes the car only to be hit himself by a truck and killed, his body burned beyond reco gnition. Walter comes to an d suffer ing a conc ussi on and dee p confusion from feeling betraye d by Ir ene hid es out in a small Mi dwest town until guilt and peer pres sure forc e him to go back to San Francisco and tell his story to the Pol ice. B ut by the time Wal ter returns to San Franc isco a clever detectiv e Lieut enant Quincy (Charle s Coburn) h as uncovered some facts about Irene and her cousin' Jim. The police have be en holding Irene for the murder of her husband Walter but release her considering that Walte r was hiding out because he had killed Jim. Along the w ay to uncovering the truth in Cour t Wa lter realizes some ha rd fac t ab out what he holds valuable and the trust he has put in t hose around him.
精彩剧情/对白：“不会说不会说， 我看这里都是自己人，就 稍微提了一嘴，那个赵石 生是隔壁县的，吃着百 家饭长大，以前偷过大队的粮食，被民兵抓去游街，家里 实在是穷得揭不开锅，这才去学手艺，三十好几了 ，讨过一个媳妇儿 ，实在挨不住穷就跑了 。”
“你也别在这里的大义炳然的样子，你在做工的时候参合东 家家里的事情，就这一点，就 没人敢请你。何况你顾 守生很会做人啊 ，动动嘴皮子，就想要 讨好顾家老宅的人对吧，觉得我们顾家 人好欺负对吧？我顾多意 就不愿意请这样
“这样的功劳，若多意 是男子，自然是好行赏的。给她兵权，给她大将军的位置，这 些都是可以的。但偏偏 多意是女子， 这才是为难的地方。大炎虽在皇上的经营下， 民风开放，女子也 可以有独立自主的机会，但是却没 有真正在朝为官的列子。像 是月衫，也仅仅是在军营里，将来必然不可能让她做什么大将军的。”
“再就是这草药的事情，姑娘 知不知道，你的草药多有用处？这个草药止血和结痂非常的快，这让不少受赡将士 ，少了很多的痛 苦，甚至以前一些会因为失血而亡的将士，如 今因为这个 草药，却是能存活下 来了，这些都是活生生的 人命啊，姑娘救了 很多很多的将士，这一点毋 庸置疑。”
“大哥性子软一些， 我担心我不在的时候他会被 欺负了，旁的倒是好，就怕村里不公正，仗着所谓的血缘逼着大哥。若是有这样的情况，那么我会毫不犹豫 的带着大哥也离 开归善村。顾家老宅那些人 ，实在算不得家人，我 们一家只想好好的过日子， 不想再和他们有任何的关系。”
