Frank Sinatra stars in Otto Preminger's groundbreaking film which deals with the issue of heroin addiction - a subject matter considered to be shocking in 1955 and one that did not follow the strict Hollywood production code of the time. The film was also the first to use a jazz soundtrack, by the then almost unknown Elmer Bernstein. Sinatra plays a poker dealer with a drugs problem, who is trying to kick the habit and start a new life as a jazz drummer. He wants to earn enough money to find a cure for his wheelchair bound wife, Zosh (Eleanor Parker), but is tempted away from his marital duties by his enigmatic neighbour (Kim Novak).
