An engineer in New York is unhappily married to a politically ambitious wife. When their son dies due to his wife's neglect, he deserts her and goes to South America to help build a bridge. But he loses interest in life, starts drinking, and loses his job. As he is about to hit rock bottom, he meets a cabaret dancer named Carita who helps him recover. He falls in love with her. When his wife loses her senatorial race, she goes to South America to reunite with him. Carita mistakenly believes that he still loves his wife, and decides to kill herself.