Michael Curtiz directs this classic drama based on the novel by James M. Cain.

Mildred (Joan Crawford) is a struggling wife and mother whose husband Bert (Bruce Bennett) seeks affection in the arms of another woman.

When the couple decide to separate, Mildred is left to raise their daughters alone but 16-year-old Veda (Ann Blyth) craves higher social status and is ashamed of her mother. Mildred decides to open a restaurant and soon begins to transform herself and her family's circumstances, but Veda will never be satisfied and soon her actions have tragic consequences. The cast also includes Jack Carson, Zachary Scott and Eve Arden.