故事发生在一所英国学校之中,古典文学课教师哈里斯(阿尔伯特·芬尼 Albert Finney 饰)即将迎来自己的退休日。塔普洛(本·西尔弗斯通 Ben Silverstone 饰)是哈里斯非常喜欢的学生,然而,塔普洛却告诉哈里斯,自己决定放弃古典文学,转而学习理科。 之后,校长找到了哈里斯,告诉了他一个噩耗,那就是学校并不准备付给他退休金,当哈里斯的妻子劳拉(格列塔·斯卡奇 Greta Scacchi 饰)得知了这一消息后,和丈夫之间爆发了一场激烈的争吵。实际上,劳拉早已经背叛了哈里斯,她和名叫弗兰克(马修·莫迪恩 Matthew Modine 饰)的男子保持着不正当的关系。退休典礼即将临近,哈里斯的生活似乎再也回不去从前了。
凯撒(爱德华·罗宾逊 Edward G. Robinson 饰)和乔伊(道格拉斯·范朋克 Douglas Fairbanks Jr. 饰)是相识多年的老友。他们一个想要成为人尽皆知的江洋大盗,另一个却厌倦了打打杀杀的日子,想要追逐内心里成为一名舞者的梦想,两位好友就此走上了截然不同的人生道路。 凯撒加入了大佬维托里(Stanley Fields 饰)所领导的黑帮之中,随着时间的推移,他在组织里的地位越来越高。然而,凯瑟却并不满足于扮演一个马仔的角色,他设计杀死了维多利,取代了他的位子。那边厢,乔伊亦为成为舞者而努力着,某日,他邂逅了一位名为奥尔加(格伦达·法瑞尔 Glenda Farrell 饰)的脱衣舞女郎,就此坠入了情网。
Righteous district attorney Joseph Foster's main goal in life is to rid his city of the gangsters infesting it. In order to be even more efficient in his war against crime he plans to run for governor. One day he meets a strange, shadowy man, Nick Beal, who offers to help him to achieve his end. Beal convinces hesitating Foster by dint of easy money, easy sex with an alluring young woman and the promise of easy success. Joseph Foster soon becomes an influential politician but a corrupt one. A minister of God manages to show him that he has been the plaything of the so-called Nick Beal, who might be Old Nick , that is to say Satan himself. Foster then decides to resign and to become an honest man again.