Genial shopkeeper Philip has to endure the constant nagging of a shrewish wife while he secretly yearns for a pretty young stenographer. When the henpecking gets to be too much, Philip murders his wife and manages to make her death look like an accident. A ruthless blackmailer and a low-key detective both discover Philip's secret, and he has to decide which of them poses the more dangerous threat.

One of several WW II-era "juvenile delinquent" dramas, Youth Aflame was filmed two years before its 1945 release, and frankly looks much older. It's the old saw about two sisters, one good, one bad. The nice sister (Kay Morley) tries to steer the nasty one (Joy Reece) towards the straight and narrow path, but it's no use. Only when it's too late does the erring sister learn the horrible price of fast driving, hard drinking and uninhibited sex. And it's ALL HER PARENTS' FAULT!!!! Youth Aflame was reissued in 1959 as Hoodlum Girls, during Hollywood's next J.D.-movie cycle.