Frankie Machine (Straight to the point Sinatra) is discharged from the Lexington Government Restorative Center with a set of drums and a modern viewpoint on life, and returns to his run-down neighborhood on the North Side of Chicago. A sedate someone who is addicted (the sedate is never named, but heroin is unequivocally inferred), Frankie got to be clean in jail. On the exterior, he welcomes companions and colleagues. Sparrow (Arnold Stang), who runs a con offering destitute pooches, clings to him like a youthful brother, but Schwiefka (Robert Strauss), whom Frankie utilized to bargain for in his illicit card amusement, has more vile reasons for inviting him back, as does Louie (Darren McGavin), Machine's previous medicate dealer. Frankie returns domestic to his spouse Zosh (Eleanor Parker), who is as far as anyone knows wheelchair-bound after a car crash a few a long time prior that was caused by Frankie driving tanked. Zosh is furtively completely recuperated, but imagines to be incapable to walk in arrange to keep making Frankie feel blameworthy so he will remain with her. Frankie comments on the shriek she wears around her neck, a gadget she utilized in Frankie's nonattendance to summon a neighbor, Vi (Doro Merande), when required. With Frankie domestic, Zosh covers her spouse in their little apartment loft and prevents his endeavor to make something of himself. He considers he has what it takes to play drums for a enormous band. Whereas calling to make an arrangement, he bumps into an ancient fire, Molly (Kim Novak) who works in a neighborhood strip joint as a entertainer and lives in the loft underneath Frankie's. Not at all like Zosh, Molly energizes his dream of getting to be a drummer. Frankie before long gets himself a tryout and inquires Sparrow to get him a modern suit, but the suit is a stolen one and he closes up back in a cell at a nearby Chicago Police Area. Schwiefka offers to pay the safeguard. Frankie denies, but before long changes his intellect when the locate of a medicate fiend on the edge gets to be as well much for him. Presently, to reimburse the obligation, he must bargain cards for Schwiefka once more. Louie is attempting to snare him on drugs once more, and with no work and Zosh to it would be ideal if you, weight is building from all directions. Soon Frankie surrenders and is back on drugs and managing marathon all-night card recreations for Schwiefka. Molly sees he is utilizing drugs once more and runs absent from him. He gets a tryout as a drummer, but spends 24 hours straight managing a poker amusement. Frantically requiring a settle, Frankie takes after Louie domestic, assaults him, and ransacks his house, but can't discover his sedate stash. At the try out, with withdrawal coming on, Frankie can't keep the beat and ruins his chance of landing the drumming work. When Louie goes to see Zosh to attempt to discover Frankie, Louie finds that Zosh has been faking her loss of motion and can walk. Zosh, frightened of being found out, pushes Louie over the railing of the stairwell to his passing, but things reverse discharge when Frankie is looked for for Louie's murder. Initially not realizing he is a suspect in Louie's passing, Frankie goes to Molly trusting to get cash for a settle. After learning that Captain Bednar and the police are looking for him, Molly persuades Frankie that he must go cold turkey if he is to stand a chance with the police. Frankie concurs and is bolted in Molly's loft where he goes through a tiring withdrawal to clear the drugs from his body. At long last clean once more, he tells Zosh he is going to take off her, begin over again and stand trial. In her franticness to keep Frankie from taking off her, Zosh once once more gives herself absent, standing up in front of Frankie and the police. She runs, but can get no more distant than the exterior overhang. Caught, she blows the shriek and tosses herself off the overhang to her passing. A police rescue vehicle at that point arrives to evacuate Zosh's dormant body and drives absent, whereas Frankie observes in dishearten. He at that point strolls absent, with Molly taking after.