Ram Bowen and Eddie Cook are two expatriate American jazzmen working in a Left Bank nightclub in Paris. Ram is there hoping to attain stature as a musician, and Eddie has come to escape the racism a Negro encounters in the United States. Among their friends are Wild Man Moore, a trumpeter helping Ram with his concerto; Marie Seoul, who owns the club and is having a casual affair with Ram; and Michel Duvigne, a Gypsy guitarist addicted to drugs. One day Ram and Eddie meet two American tourists, Lillian Corning and Connie Lampson, who are on a 2-week vacation in Paris. Eventually the two couples pair off, and Eddie decides to marry Connie and return to the United States, despite the discrimination he will face. Though Ram falls in love with Lillian, he is reluctant to give up his independence and become a second-rate trombone player in the States. When an impresario rejects his concerto, Ram at first decides to leave Paris and marry Lillian; but ultimately he realizes that he must stay until he can determine whether he has a real talent for composing. Sadly he says goodby to Lillian and returns to his music.