Wealthy Congresswoman Margaret Wyndham Chase, Sylvia Sidney, aims to run for governor in an unnamed state and believes she needs the help of a political boss named Eddie Ace, George Raft, to give her campaign a real chance. To grease the wheels, she invites him to a dinner where he and other powerful friends will gather, and one of the diners is a party guest, Bess Flowers.
Margaret also faces a personal obstacle. Her husband, Pembroke Chase III, demands a divorce, but she wants to keep up appearances until after the election. She refuses to sign, and he responds with a threat to derail her campaign unless she complies. In return, she warns him that she’ll reveal his many affairs to the public if he pushes too far. The confrontation sets the stage for a tense game of political and personal leverage.
At the dinner, Chase tries to undermine her by bad-mouthing her in front of the others. Ace is initially skeptical, influenced by a belief that beautiful women should stay out of politics. Even Margaret’s friend, the political science professor Joshua Adams, wants Ace to haltthe bid, arguing that while she might make a good governor, she needs more heart to be truly effective. In a bid to consolidate power, Ace introduces Margaret to his inner circle—the The Tomahawk Club—and she wins their admiration with a confident, personable charm. The evening closes with a shared spark as they begin to learn more about one another; later, a date reveals Ace’s growing attraction to Margaret, even as his political doubts linger.
Adams presses Ace to prevent Margaret from being elected, though he concedes she could be a strong leader if she learned to wield more heart in her approach. Margaret refuses to drop out and doubles down on her campaign strategy. She reconnects with Ace and Adams to discuss the political landscape, and then asks Ace to drive her home to the country estate. The ride ends with a kiss, but Ace makes clear that his stance on backing her remains unchanged.
Determined to win, Margaret turns to other allies. She speaks with Toomey, one of Ace’s trusted aides, and—with Toomey’s discreet help—she finally secures the nomination to run for governor. Yet this victory is short-lived in the face of a calculated betrayal: Chase escalates the pressure by forcing a divorce and accusing Margaret of having had an affair with Ace, claiming Ace would testify to what happened at the country house. The scandal shakes Margaret’s resolve, and she pulls out of the race to accept the divorce.
In response, Adams and Ace pivot to form an independent political party dedicated to backing a reform candidate. Adams urges Margaret to run on a platform that opposes machine politics, and she agrees to the plan. With this new coalition and the support they’ve strategically assembled, Margaret eventually wins the election, though she remains unaware that Ace had quietly supported her all along.
After the victory, a reconciliation moment arrives. When they meet, she pledges to be the best governor she can be, and they share a kiss to seal their complicated alliance. The narrative closes on a note of cautious optimism, showing how political savvy, personal risk, and shifting loyalties can converge to shape a state’s leadership.
