In a provincial town, an actress harbors aspirations of greatness. Dying to be Broadway's next big thing, Eva Lovelace (Katharine Hepburn) finds her path to critical acclaim blocked by performers who've spent more time on the stage. But her career seems to be picking up steam when she catches the eye of theater mogul Joseph Sheridan (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.), and when another starlet's sudden absence threatens his production, Joseph looks to Eva to save his play.