State’s Attorney

Tom Cardigan is a near-alcoholic defense attorney who handles many cases for his childhood friend, Vanny Powers. The relationship hints at a blend of loyalty, influence, and danger that will shape his career. This setup foreshadows the political leverage Powers hopes to gain through Cardigan.

Powers suggests that Cardigan become Attorney General so Powers can deliver votes and win influence in return for occasional favors. Cardigan warns that crossing to the other side would erase Powers' leverage and leave him exposed. The idea marks the first explicit link between law, politics, and criminal power in the story.

Cardigan agrees to defend June Perry, a homeless woman accused of tapping at a window. He secretly fits her with a wedding ring he keeps in his pocket to suggest she couldn't be loitering for prostitution, and argues for her release on those grounds. He takes her home, and the plot notes that she stays there overnight.

June stays at Cardigan's home overnight, and then every night thereafter. The arrangement deepens their personal connection and complicates Cardigan's professional life. The Production Code hint underscores the audacious relationship for the era.

Cardigan's success as Attorney General makes him a likely Governor candidate. A political kingmaker believes in his potential, and Powers' daughter Lillian begins dating Cardigan. The combination of ambition, romance, and power creates tensions that threaten his integrity.

During a drunken spree, Cardigan and Lillian marry. He returns home to tell June the bad news, only to realize he loves June, not Lillian. This realization triggers a personal crisis as he contemplates abandoning the Governor path for his genuine feelings.

June leaves, and Cardigan goes on a honeymoon bender for several days, alone. The hiatus interrupts his political ascent and tests his commitment to his relationships. It underscores the conflict between appetite, ambition, and love.

Meanwhile, June returns to her old friends in the Powers mob at a bar. She walks outside and witnesses Powers murder a man in cold blood. Powers threats to kill her if she talks, and she agrees, but an off-stage policeman overhears and jails her as a material witness.

An Italian tenor, Mario, confronts Cardigan as he sobers up, announcing his desire to marry Lillian. Cardigan tells Mario he will annul his marriage, hoping to keep his own political plans intact. Mario's entrance adds romantic competition and moral pressure.

Cardigan interviews the material witness and discovers she is June, who refuses to return to him because she believes he has betrayed his values. He releases her as a witness, attempting to preserve her agency. This meeting underscores the emotional rift between them.

At Powers' trial, the defense springs June as a surprise witness. She is forced to admit that she could see the killer but did not actually see the murder and did not recognize Powers. Cardigan decides not to cross-examine her, allowing the testimony to stand.

During the courtroom drama, Cardigan reveals that he and Powers were sent to reform school together for burglary. He announces that he will not run for governor and will return to his defense attorney role. This admission resolves the personal conflict and realigns his career with his values.

Outside the courtroom, June congratulates Cardigan for choosing his values over ambition. They embrace and walk away hand in hand, united by love and principle. The film ends with their partnership redefining Cardigan's future.