Jerilee Randall enters the Awards Presentation Ceremony alone, unrecognized by the media and the crowd gathered outside. Several years earlier, as a student at Valley High School, Jerilee received an award, presented by film director Guy Jackson, for her outstanding achievements in creative writing. In an acceptance speech, Jerilee states that in each of her stories, at least one character must be “concerned with some important issue that people are afraid to talk about.” Afterward, Jerilee attends a party where she meets Walt Thornton, Jnr., the son of renowned screenwriter, Walter Thornton. He invites Jerilee to meet his famous father, and during the drive, Walt’s friends Joe and Mary attempt to draw her into their amorous activities in the back seat. Shortly after arriving, Joe knocks Walt unconscious and rapes Jerilee with the nozzle of a garden hose before the elder Walter comes to her rescue. Days later, Walter visits Jerilee to return the award statuette she left in his home. They bond over their shared passion for writing, and over time, their mutual admiration turns to love. Although Jerilee’s widowed mother, Veronica, disapproves of her daughter’s romance with an older man, she does not interfere with the couple’s plans to marry. Later, Walter’s agent tries to discourage Jerilee’s aspirations, saying, “women can’t write,” and advises her to earn a living from her beauty rather than her mind. Jerilee proves him wrong by writing a critically-acclaimed book of short stories. When an unemployed actress begs Walter for a part in his next picture, he uses the incident to show his wife that many in the entertainment industry have lost their self-respect. Regardless, Jerilee is anxious to learn screenwriting and becomes Walter’s assistant on his latest film. On the set, she reconnects with director Guy Jackson, who complains about the length of a key speech in Walter’s screenplay, to be delivered during a child’s funeral. Jerilee replaces the entire speech with the word, “why,” which pleases the director. Walter is angered by his wife’s audacity, but accepts credit for the rewrite. After the film has become a commercial and critical success, Jerilee is angered by Walter’s refusal to acknowledge her contribution during a lunch with friends and associates. He admits to his loss of self-respect and leaves. Upon returning home, Jerilynn tries to reason with her husband, but he becomes verbally abusive and makes a cruel reference to the garden hose. Sometime later, Guy visits Jerilee in her modest apartment. She has left Walter, written another book, and wants to write a screenplay about two people whose deep love cannot surmount their lack of compatibility. Guy takes her to a party, where she encounters rising star George Ballantine, and they begin a torrid affair, despite the fact that he is married. George rejects Jerilee when he learns that she is pregnant with his child, and she has an abortion. While at a restaurant with Veronica, Jerilee meets nightclub owner Vincent Dacosta and his business partner, Nick Rossi, who are in search of screenplays for their new film production company. When Jerilee offers her screenplay, Dacosta is interested, but later admits that he and Nick will need more than six months to raise the necessary funds. Aware of Jerilee’s dire financial situation, he offers her a job at his nightclub. Their business relationship develops into a stormy love affair, as Dacosta reveals his volatile personality and penchant for cocaine. Jerilee has a nervous breakdown after Dacosta allows her to be molested by lesbian Italian actress Carla Maria Peroni, and she is committed to a mental hospital. Guy’s regular visits to the hospital, along with his love and encouragement, speed Jerilee’s recovery. Her harrowing experiences inspire her to write a new screenplay, titled The Hold-Outs, which Guy takes to his agent. Jerilee is offered the opportunity to sell her screenplay to producer Tom Castel, providing George Ballantine is given a starring role. She refuses at first, but Guy convinces her, saying, “It’s the movie that matters.” Jerilee meets with Castel at his home, where the producer leaves the decision to his bisexual wife, Joanne, who insists that Jerilee join her in the hot tub. Months later, at the Presentation Ceremony, Jerilee wins the award for best original screenplay. During her acceptance speech, she admits that she, like so many women in Hollywood, had to trade sex for a career, and describes how she was exploited by her colleagues. Jerilee places her award statuette on the podium and leaves the ceremony in tears, ignoring the taunts of outraged audience members.