Chu Chu Ramirez, Ricardo Montalban, is a farm laborer from Mexico who works as a grape picker in California and has recently become an American citizen, fueled by a resolve to better himself. While his cousin Manuel Ramirez, José Torvay, and his friends Celestino Garcia, Jack Elam, and Willie Chung, Pascual García Peña spend their pay on gambling and women, Chu Chu invests in his future by buying new clothes and an encyclopedia, signaling a different path from the one his relatives take.
When grape season closes, Chu Chu accepts work clearing land for Ansel Ames, Wendell Corey, on a farm near Sacramento. The relationship at that farm is complicated by marital troubles between Ansel Ames and his wife, Mrs. Elena Ames, Claire Trevor. The lonely Mrs. Ames, who initially regards Chu Chu with contempt as a "foreigner," gradually finds herself drawn to him. Chu Chu, warm and considerate, does not return her affection and gently resists her seduction, choosing instead to remain focused on his own hopeful ambitions. Yet his kindness only deepens the tension that shadows the Ames household.
Chu Chu’s heart increasingly leans toward Nancy, Shelley Winters, a troubled waitress with a drinking problem whose former husband, a test pilot, was killed in a crash. He tries to help Nancy see a way forward, even offering to support her with a notable keepsake—his cherished letter from President Franklin D. Roosevelt—to help her through her struggles. He asks Nancy to be his partner, though she warns him not to waste his time on someone she sees as a “wino” like herself. The dynamic between Chu Chu and Nancy becomes a focal point of the film, highlighting Chu Chu’s capacity for loyalty and care amidst harsh circumstances.
Back on the worksite, Chu Chu completes his labor and receives his paycheck, only to face a bank that refuses to honor it. When he confronts Ansel Ames about the bad check, Ames threatens him with a shotgun. The dispute moves through formal channels as Chu Chu brings the matter before a labor board and is promised payment within sixty days. He plans to reunite with Nancy in Los Angeles and marry her as soon as the money arrives, clinging to the belief that a brighter future is possible through perseverance.
As the sixty days pass, Chu Chu attempts to collect again but is attacked by Ansel Ames, an assault that Chu Chu counters by knocking Ames down and leaving the scene. The Ameses’ marriage strains to a breaking point: Mrs. Ames confronts her husband, insisting that Chu Chu is worth ten of him, and in a fit of anger, Ames strikes her. She accidentally triggers a gun rack, and a shot wounds Ames in the shoulder. The Ameses then falsely accuse Chu Chu of shooting Ames, and he is arrested, his future and citizenship hanging in the balance.
News reaches Chu Chu that Nancy has attempted suicide in Los Angeles. He escapes from jail to rush to her side; for a brief moment, they are together again, but the authorities soon recapture him. At the trial, both Ames and Mrs. Ames repeat the false accusation that Chu Chu shot Ames. The jury convicts him, yet the judge grants a light sentence, a decision that still carries the heavy consequence of losing his citizenship—a fate he deems a fate worse than death.
Feeling the injustice of the situation, Chu Chu’s cousin and friends camp outside the Ames property, playing Mexican songs and staging reminders of Chu Chu’s value and integrity, signaling the community’s unwavering support. Nancy arrives, still ill, and openly accuses Mrs. Ames of destroying Chu Chu, her confrontation culminating in a collapse that lands her in the hospital. Faced with mounting pressure, the Ameses decide to tell the truth—confessing that Chu Chu did not shoot Ames, even though they know they will face perjury charges. Their confession clears Chu Chu, who is released and finally reunites with Nancy in the hospital, where both face an uncertain but hopeful future together.
