Broadway diva Judy Carroll (Constance Bennett) loses custody of an orphaned baby after testifying on behalf of notorious embezzler Commissioner Al Howard (Walter Pidgeon in an early film appearance). Devastated by the loss, she's sent abroad with her inebriated mother, Snooks (Jobyna Howland), by her adoring manager, Tony (Paul Lukas). While in Europe, she discovers a play that mirrors her own life, named Rockabye. Determined to use it as a dramatic debut and a cathartic reset, Judy tracks down the playwright, Jake Van Riker Pell (Joel McCrea), to obtain the rights. Jake dismisses Judy as a debutante, unfit for the lead, until she reveals her tough-girl roots and wins him over. The two fall in love while coproducing the play, and the soon-to-be divorced Jake proposes marriage. Fate, however, isn't done rocking Judy to her core, and her opening-night triumph will prove to be her greatest, most heartbreaking test.