Lola Meredith (Lana Turner), a widow with a six-year-old daughter, named Susie, has come to New York City in hopes of becoming a famous actress. But after several weeks, she has found no work and lives in a cold-water flat. One summer day, Lora loses Susie on the Coney Island beach but finds her safe with Annie Johnson (Juanita Moore), a young black woman who is also a widow, and Annie's mixed-race light-skinned eight-year-old daughter Sarah Jane. Susie and Sarah Jane become quick friends, as do Lora and Annie. Since Annie has no place to live, she offers to become Lora's servant and nanny. Lora cannot afford to pay her, but allows Annie and the delighted Sarah Jane to move in. On the beach, Lora also meets Steve Archer (John Gavin), an aspiring photographer who takes a picture of the two girls. He attracted to Lora and courts her. Meanhile, Lora looks for jobs while Annie takes care of the kids, does the housework, and takes on menial jobs to help pay their rent. But Annie worries about Sarah Jane who tries to pass as white because she is embarrassed about having a black mother. Lora lies her way into the office of agent Allen Loomis (Robert Alda) to try to hire him to land acting jobs. He realizes that she is a fraud, but promises to make her a star if she will do everything he tells her, no mater how low. Lora doesn't want to be cheapened and walks out on him. When she tells Steve what went on, he tells Lora to hold onto her dreams. However, when Steve sells the photo of the girls, he takes a job with a magazine and asks Lora to marry him and give up acting. She accepts his proposal, but changes her mind when Loomis gets her a job with famous director David Edwards (Dan O'Herlihy). As a result, Steve and Lora break up. When Lora tells Edwards what is wrong with her small scene, he is impressed and gives her the lead role. Lora is a success and she soon becomes Edwards's lover. Ten years later, Lora has become a big acting star by appearing in all of Edwards's Broadway plays. Lorna, Annie and their two daughters now teenagers 16-year-old Susie (Sandra Dee) and 18-year-old Sarah Jane (Susan Kohner) all move in together in a large, lovely house in Manhattan. But, surprisingly, Lora is unfulfilled with her life. She breaks away from Edwards and starts in a working-class play with low-income. Steve comes to visit Lora to her celebration party after her latest play, Annie, Sarah Jane and Susie are all happy to see him. Lora hints to Steve that she would like to get back together with him, but her work obsession drive them apart. Susie is also becoming disenchanted with her mother for not spending more time with her. She goes to Annie with her problems. When Lora goes abroad to Europe to star in a movie, Steve takes care of Susie, who falls in love with him. When Lora returns and it becomes evident to Susie that Steve loves Lora and they'll marry, she and her mother have a falling out. Meanwhile Annie's health deteriorates as Sarah Jane draws away from her. Sarah Jane tries to pass herself off as white by dating a local high school boy, but when the white boyfriend finds out that he is actually mixed-race, he physically beats her up and dumps her. Sarah Jane goes into a deep depression and takes a job as a dancer in a sleazy nightclub until Annie informs the manager that she's black to get her fired. Afterwords, Sarah Jane tells Annie that she doesn't want to see her ever again and flees town. Steve tracks Sarah Jane to Las Vegas where she is working as a local showgirl. Now extremely ill (presumbably from cancer) Annie travels to Las Vegas to visit Sarah Jane. She promises to stay out of Sarah Jane's life, but tells her daughter to come back to New York to visit her or Lora if she ever needs help. Sarah Jane hugs her mother goodbye and appears sad to see her go. A few weeks later, Annie dies and Lora is heartbroken that her best friend has passed away. Just as Annie wanted, there is a glorious funeral, attended by thousands of mourners. A tearful and guilty Sarah Jane appears and runs up to her coffin, admitting to everyone that she is Annie's daughter and that she is black. Sarah Jane rides off with Lora, Susie and Steve back to their home.
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