In September 1938, an American diplomat negotiated in London the peace of Munich, rather than rush to Paris where his wife, a famous film actress, is about to fall into the arms of a young first.
Set in a tiny midwestern town, this sentimental drama centers on the rivalry between two life-long acquaintances whose early friendship falls apart when they woo the same woman.
They meet on the plane from Dakar to Casablanca: the well-known American defense lawyer Vandegrift, his daughter Jessie and the arrested Peter Roland, who allegedly kidnapped and murdered the famous film child Binnie Casilla in Stockford in 1928.
Tex arrives on the Parker ranch on Christman eve and is given the job of being Santa Claus. Also dressed as Santa Claus, Blackie robs Parker and kills a man.
After being criticized by the Citizens' League for his inability to cope with a crime wave, Police Captain Haines orders his men in the Homicide Bureau to clean up all their cases, but without violating the constitutional rights of any suspect.
Krajewski, a young bank clerk, is a romantic and dreams of perfect love. One day, he accidentally meets a beautiful girl whom he helps dry her clothes in his apartment after she falls into a puddle while getting off the tram.
The MGM crime reporter introduces Norman Kennedy, District Attorney of a large city, he who talks about the general want for money, and the extraordinary lengths some will go to to get it.
The feisty boss of a chain of cafes wants to push the youngest of her daughters off on a husband, who would be well-suited to take over the business one day.