Theresa is an imaginative, rebellious orphan from Brooklyn, who has dreams of show business success. She tries outrageous schemes to launch herself into the public eye, until finally meeting a mentor, Sammy Cohen, whose own career fizzled as a result of alcoholism.

Mr. Clean is a police detective who heads a special task force of the vice squad. Clean's by-the-book attitude makes him none too popular with his underlings, so they try to fake a sex scandal that will cause him to be fired from the force.