James Aldrich is a cinch to win the election as United States Senator until his opponent, Tom Ryan offers a big reward to anyone who can find a scandal in Aldrich's past. Newspaper editor Howard Duncan and his star reporter Ruby Sheldon accept the challenge and, after deciding that Aldrich is straight, decide to investigate his wife Agnes. Going back through the files, they discover that Agnes has been accused of murder and threaten the Aldrichs with exposure. Agnes explains her tragic story, and how she escaped from the drunken savage Steve O'Brien, whose life she had to take in order to save her own. The reporters are so moved that they decide to bury Agnes' past and the heart-breaking story only increases the love of Aldrich for his wife.