J.J. Hansek ( Burt Lancaster ) is a nationally known newspaper columnist, and Sidney Falco ( Bernard Schwartz ) is a Manhattan press agent. Hansek has a sister named Susan (Susan Harrison) who falls in love with Steve Dallas (Martin Milner), a young guy in a band, but Hansek doesn't think such a Peak guitarist is worth it He ordered Falco to find a way to break them up, but he didn't succeed, so Hansek began to obstruct it, so that Falco could not stay in this industry. Hansek's influence cost Falco a client and, desperate, he decided to make his last bet. He went to the city's famous 21st Street Club to find Hansek and gave him a plan, first to spread rumors through a column that competed with Hansek that Dallas was a big-smoking Communist Party, and then to have Hansek come forward Play a good person and save Dallas' reputation, but this stubborn young man will definitely not accept Hansek's help because he knows that Hansek has always opposed his sister being with him, so he will be in Susan for being unreasonable. The image in my mind is greatly reduced.
To a certain extent, the plan worked, and the arrogant Dallas couldn't restrain himself from being rude to Hansek and asked Susan to choose between herself and her brother. In order to protect her boyfriend from being harmed by her brother, the timid Susan could only choose to break up with him. However, Hansek was narrow-minded, and Dallas' excessive words just now had angered him, and he decided to completely destroy the young man regardless of Falco's advice. He hopes to plant the marijuana on the other side, and then find the corrupt police Lieutenant Harry Caro (Emile Meyer), who has long been bought, to arrest Dallas and give him a good lesson.
Such a dirty trick even Falco felt terrible and did not want to participate in it, but Hansek promised to take a long vacation afterward, and during the vacation, his column would be handed over to Falco to manage. So Falco was tempted. He put a cigarette mixed with marijuana into the other party's coat pocket while Dallas was performing on stage at the nightclub. As a result, he met Caro as soon as he walked out of the nightclub after the Dallas performance.
Falco is summoned to Hansek's penthouse, only to find that Hansek is not there and Susan is about to commit suicide by jumping off the building. When he took her down, Hansek just came in, thinking that Falco wanted to molest his sister, so he started fisting and kicking in a rage, but Susan stood by and said nothing, and Falco hated Afraid that he would not fight back, he begged for mercy and explained that he had come after a call asking him to come, but Hansek said that he had never called him to come here. At this time, Susan came up to tell her brother to stop fighting. Falco immediately realized that this was all a trap that Susan framed herself, because she hated herself for framing her boyfriend, causing them to be separated, but she didn't know that she was The elder brother is the initiator. Falco excitedly told Susan that he was just following Hansek's orders to destroy Dallas' reputation and relationship with Susan. But as soon as he said it, he realized that he had made a big mistake, but it was too late, Hansek called Kairo and told him to deal with Falco, Falco fled in a hurry, but was still caught by the terrible Police caught it in Times Square .
Back on the top floor, Susan packed her bags and told her brother Falco that she didn't lie and that she was indeed planning to kill herself, because it was better to die than to live with him. Before leaving, she said she was going to Dallas and told Hansek that she didn't hate him, but just pity him.
