Are You Listening?

Bill Grimes, a radio writer, is secretly in love with Laura O'Neill. He remains bitterly married to Alice, and the Depression makes separation financially impossible. Bill and Laura share innocent social outings, like roller-skating, which underscore the happiness missing from his marriage.

Alice insists that Bill stay home for their third wedding anniversary to avoid humiliating her in front of the other couple. The evening is stiff and performative, masking real tensions in their marriage. At Laura's suggestion, Bill tries to soften her with a gift of stockings, but Alice remains critical and the night remains miserable.

Bill breaks a planned theater date with Laura to stay at home. When he finally slips away to visit her, Laura tells him that the relationship cannot continue and ends it. The breakup intensifies Bill's sense of failure and despair.

Laura lives with her sister Sally, who is practiced at dating rich men without compromising herself. Their younger sister Honey arrives in town eager to go on double dates. The stage is set for a new round of romantic misadventures.

Honey does not master the art of hiding her liquor and ends up getting sloppy drunk, forcing Sally to rescue her. Honey clings to the fantasy that a clubman will marry her, but the man she meets only wants to keep dating while he is engaged. The sisters scramble to manage the fallout.

Honey is consoled by her sisters and finds love with a nice guy at the station, whose intentions appear honorable. Her shimmer of happiness contrasts with Laura's earlier heartbreak. The film threads multiple love stories together through this encounter.

There is backstage comedy about an inept sound-effects man, providing light relief amid the various romantic plotlines. The mishaps backstage mirror the chaotic romantic entanglements on screen. The sponsor, a bathtub magnate, dislikes stories unless they involve plumbing.

Late in the story, Bill moves out into a hotel after losing his job because he cannot write comedy due to depression. He cannot send money to Alice, worsening their precarious situation. The decline marks a turning point toward tragedy.

Alice confronts Bill in his hotel room and they quarrel. In a moment of anger, Bill gives her a small push, and she falls, hitting her head and dying. Bill considers calling the police but ultimately panics and runs from the scene.

Bill flees the scene and heads to say goodbye to Laura, hoping for a fleeting chance at happiness. Laura chooses to run away with him, embracing the idea of starting anew together. The plan is risky and reckless, but it sparks their flight from the authorities.

Police quickly discover the body and the radio station manager seizes the sensational angle to portray Bill as a vicious murderer and Laura as his paramour. The pursuit amplifies public fear and the press frenzy intensifies. The couple finds themselves pursued by law and sensationalized by the media.

A gas station attendant recognizes Bill and Laura and notifies the police. They seek help from a newspaper editor, who locks them in his office and calls the radio station. He broadcasts a spun confession on air, wrongly implying Bill admitted guilt, which intensifies the case but does not resolve it.

The broadcast subplot aside, the trial goes forward and Bill is convicted of manslaughter. The case becomes a public spectacle, shaped by the Depression era hunger for sensational crime stories. Laura remains by his side, clinging to a fragile hope.

Laura meets Bill at the station as he is taken to prison. They console each other, reflecting that his sentence could be three years and might be reduced for good behavior. They cling to the possibility that the Depression could end in time for him to rebuild their lives.