Small-town girl Jane Bradford (Lois January) falls for Nick (Noel Madison), a guy from the big city who offers her the opportunity to get away from her small-town life. He also offers her "headache powder" that she is unaware is really cocaine--and that Nick is a drug dealer. By the time they get to the city, she is hooked on her new medicine. Jane's brother Eddie (Dean Benton) goes to the city to look for her, after he and their mother don't hear from her for over a year.
Eddie gets a job as a drive-in carhop and is befriended by waitress Fanny (Sheila Bromley). Fanny is one of Nick's customers, and Fanny soon gets Eddie hooked on the "headache powder." This vice soon ends Eddie's and Fanny's lives downhill: they're both fired and unable to find new jobs. On the periphery of both Eddie and Jane's lives is Dorothy Farley (Lois Lindsay), a customer at the drive-in. Dorothy, dating Dan, comes from a wealthy family and throws her money around easily, and she is willing to financially assist those in need.