Lover Come Back

In a Manhattan advertising agency, Jerry Webster has achieved success not through hard work or intelligence but by wining and dining his clients and setting them up on dates with attractive women. This ruthless but effective approach cements his status as the top ad executive on Madison Avenue. It also foreshadows the ethical compromises he will continually test.

Carol Templeton, Jerry's equal at a rival agency, is disgusted by his unethical tactics and reports him to the Ad Council. To blunt the charge, Jerry sends Rebel Davis, a comely chorus girl, to seduce the council members. The cunning move shows his willingness to manipulate situations to protect his position.

Jerry arranges shoots featuring Rebel for VIP, a fictitious product, hoping they'll never air. Yet the company's president, Pete Ramsey, unexpectedly orders the footage broadcast on television. This ironic twist forces Jerry to conjure a real-sounding product at speed.

To manufacture a real-sounding product, Jerry bribes Nobel laureate Dr. Linus Tyler to create VIP. He sees no scruples in paying for a miracle to save his account. The plan hinges on Tyler's scientific credentials to lend legitimacy to the nonexistent product.

Carol mistakes Jerry for the chemist Linus Tyler and, to steal the account, he pretends to be Tyler. As 'Tyler' he wines, dines, golfs, and frolics with Carol, who unknowingly enjoys the fringe benefit of the deception. The con runs through beaches and golf courses as their bond tightens.

Carol eventually uncovers that Jerry is not the chemist and exposes him again to the Ad Council, this time for promoting a product that does not exist. Her outrage marks a turning point as she doubles down on the fight against his schemes. The Ad Council braces for another showdown.

Jerry arrives at the hearing with VIP, the real mint-flavored candy Tyler created. He provides many free samples to everyone there, including Carol. The generous distribution softens resistance and props up VIP as a legitimate product.

VIP turns out to be intoxicating, each piece having the same effect as a triple martini. Its extreme effects lead to a one-night stand between Carol and Jerry in a Maryland motel, complete with a marriage license. Their bizarre union grows from the candy's spell as much as from their rivalry.

Carol has the marriage annulled, unable to accept the consequences of their impulsive union. The fallout shakes both their careers and egos as they navigate the scandal. The result leaves them professionally wary of one another.

Representatives from the liquor industry visit Jerry, offering lucrative pay to pull VIP off the market and destroy the formula. Jerry negotiates a counteroffer that gives Carol's firm 25% of its $60 million annual advertising expenditures. He then burns a confession that he has just signed, which the reps mistake for the actual formula.

Jerry convinces the liquor reps to deliver the money to Carol's firm and then burns a signed confession, which they mistake for the real formula. The ruse extinguishes the immediate threat while cementing his control over the deal. He uses the moment to slip away from New York.

With the market secured, Jerry leaves New York to work in his company's San Francisco branch. The relocation signals a strategic retreat and a fresh start away from the headlines of his romance with Carol. It also sets up the possibility of a future reencounter with his rival.

Nine months later, Jerry is called back to remarry Carol in a hospital maternity ward, just before she gives birth to their child. The ceremony binds them once more, hinting at a complex family future despite their public battles. The strange arc closes with a personal stake that mirrors the professional games they've played.