Once Is Not Enough

Mike Wayne, a middle-aged motion-picture producer, finds it nearly impossible to land a new Hollywood project. The once-glittering career he depended on is slipping away, leaving him scrambling for opportunities and clinging to a lavish lifestyle as the industry changes around him.

accustomed to wealth, Mike maintains an extravagant lifestyle even as his professional prospects fade. His wealth allows him to pamper his daughter January and keep up appearances, masking the precarious state of his career.

Needing capital for his projects, Mike enters into a loveless marriage with Deidre Milford Granger, one of the world's wealthiest women. The arrangement is practical rather than affectionate, with Deidre expecting things done her way.

Deidre is revealed to be secretly carrying on a lesbian affair, adding tension to her relationship with Mike. The dynamic becomes more complex as power and desire intersect with their arranged marriage.

January leaves Europe and eagerly returns to America to be with her father, seeking connection after years of being pampered and away from him. Her homecoming reopens old emotional wounds and expectations.

An old friend, Linda Riggs, now a magazine editor, advises January to write a book and to live more freely. Her encouragement presses January to explore her own voice rather than merely pleasing others.

January becomes involved with Tom Colt, a much older, hard-drinking novelist who is an adversary of her father. The relationship represents a break from her father's control and a step toward independence.

Mike resents January's affair and confronts Colt upon finding him with January in a Beverly Hills hotel cabin. He forces January to choose between Colt and himself, creating a dramatic and painful ultimatum.

Rejecting her father’s demand, January chooses Colt as her partner and refuses to end the relationship, signaling a firm break from Mike's control and plans.

Deidre's demands intensify, and Mike agrees to a divorce. Before the separation can be finalized, their airplane crashes, killing both of them and leaving January orphaned and stunned by the sudden loss.

Devastated by the deaths and seeking comfort, January turns to Colt, only to find that he turns against her, leaving her to face life on her own once again.

January learns she has inherited $3 million from her father's life insurance, offering a glimmer of financial freedom as she begins to plan a new life for herself. She also discovers Linda’s disillusionment as she confronts personal turmoil in her own career.

Linda is angry and distraught after being fired for having an affair with her boss, underlining that relationships and careers alike are imperfect and fraught with consequences. January absorbs the shock as she faces a world that remains unpredictable.

Alone and somewhere between loss and possibility, January wanders the streets of Manhattan after dark, clinging to a sense that tomorrow can be better. The ending suggests resilience and the possibility of a new life despite the hurt she endures.