Released from prison after eleven years for a crime he vows he did not commit, Phil Tanner has written a best-selling book during his imprisonment. Calvin Polk, a Hollywood screenwriter, is helping Phil raise funds for a prison reform campaign. Polk's young, star-worshipping girlfriend, Kathy Avery, throws herself at Tanner. When Kathy's dead body is found, Tanner, knowing he will be charged with murder, takes Christine hostage, demanding she corroborate his story that Kathy's death was an accident. Christine calms Tanner down, reassuring him that the truth will prevail. Meanwhile, Mrs. Kupchak, grandmother of flower shop employee Sandy Hoyle, has been ailing and is determined to see Sandy married. In order to appease her grandmother, Sandy lies, saying she's engaged to the bell captain, Dave. Elated, Mrs. Kupchak demands to meet him, and Sandy confesses her ruse to Dave and Megan, who reluctantly agree to cooperate. Dave charms Mrs. Kupchak, who decides to move to San Francisco to be

A fickle young heiress, Erica Atwood reconsiders her engagement to Chip Lansing, heir to Lansing Chemicals, a company with which Atwood Chemicals is on the verge of merging. To her family's dismay, Erica instead intends to marry Tony Patterson, a wildlife scientist and son of the Atwood's gardener. Tony initially learns of Erica's engagement at a disastrous dinner with Erica and her family. Erica's pragmatic older sister Isabel disapproves of Tony at first, then falls in love with him. Elizabeth seduces Peter's banker to get access to his personal investment file. The information turns out to be useless, and instead of being grateful, her scheming father, Charles, chastises Elizabeth for her wanton ways. Elizabeth later invites a strange man to her apartment; the man brutally rapes her. Because she was foolish enough to let the man in, Charles blames Elizabeth. Through Peter and Christine's mediation, however, Charles and Elizabeth take a small step toward reconciliation.