20世纪初，美国弗吉尼亚的一个小山村，年轻的戴维因生 性腼腆而不能像他爱戴的哥哥那样担当重任：驾驶兼送邮件的公共马 车。为排遣苦恼，他不得不整日沉溺于嬉水逗狗中，或是偷偷地向暗 慕的姑娘求爱，为此被人们视为游手好闲。一天，邻居的表弟，伊斯 卡和他的两个儿子因为犯下罪行而 潜逃到此地。生性邪恶的伊斯卡和 他的儿子们四处惹是生非，他的儿子卢克杀了戴维心爱的小狗，还将 戴维的哥哥打成残废。戴维的父亲受不了这样的打击，心脏病发作死 去。戴维的母亲要戴维复仇，但戴维没有依照风俗办事，而被人们看 作懦夫。一个偶然的机会，驾驶公共马车的车夫喝醉了，戴维顶替了 他，并同抢劫马车的伊斯卡父子展开搏斗，搏斗中将卢克打死，自己 也受了伤。他带伤完成了使命，博得了孝子和男子汉的双重美誉......

比利（高登·麦克瑞 Gordon MacRae 饰）在游乐场工作，在那里，他邂逅了名为朱莉（雪莉·琼斯 Shirley Jones 饰）的女孩，情投意合的两人很快就走到了一起。游乐场老板马伦（奥黛丽·克里斯蒂 Audrey Christie 饰）因为妒忌而解雇了比利，一下子，比利成为了无业游民。
找工作并不是一件简单的事情，在巨大的压力之下，比利的精神濒临崩溃的边缘，更糟的是，朱莉随后也失去了在工厂的工作，失去了全部经济来源的小夫妻两只得暂住在朱莉的表姐奈蒂（Claramae Turner 饰）家，过起了寄人篱下的生活。朱莉发现自己怀孕了，这件事让比利意识到，自己不能再堕落下去了，他必须肩负起身为一个父亲的职责。

In WW2, U.S. Army Major Joppolo and his troops are tasked with administering the war damaged Italian town of Adano where the locals decry the loss of the town bell

大卫王为美色所迷惑，抛弃了神与良知还杀死了爱人的丈夫，以为自己的智慧可以瞒过所有人的眼睛。但是上帝却知道，为了点醒他，将死降临在他的儿女身上，并通过先知讨伐他。大卫王终于清醒，想以死求得神的原谅，于是上帝与他同在。本片所表述的其实就是想说明做了什么事不要以为别人不知道，做了坏事迟早也会受到报应的，所以就需要人心向善，不要泯灭了自己的良知。

影片主线讲述了19世纪一户普通家庭来到芝加哥并奋斗的故事，影片后半一头母牛碰倒了提灯点燃了大火，展现了惊人的火灾场景。

An eccentric lower class woman struggles to gain respect in high society after marrying a wealthy man, and the problem gets worse when their daughter starts growing up.

When American newspaperman and adventurer Henry M. Stanley comes back from the western Indian wars, his editor James Gordon Bennett sends him to Africa to find Dr. David Livingstone, the missing Scottish missionary. Stanley finds Livingstone ("Dr. Livingstone, I presume.") blissfully doling out medicine and religion to the happy natives. His story is at first disbelieved. When Livingstone later dies, Stanley returns to continue the good doctor's work (which, of course, never really happened)

Roger Grant, a classical violinist, disappoints his family and teacher when he organizes a jazz band, but he and the band become successful. Roger falls in love with his singer Stella, but his reluctance to lose her leads him to thwart her efforts to become a solo star. When the World War separates them in 1917, Stella marries Roger's best friend Charlie. Roger comes home after the war and an important concert at Carnegie Hall brings the corners of the romantic triangle together.

秀兰在《卡罗莱娜》中扮演一个分成制佃户的女儿，演员表中连她的名字都没有提及。

Inventor Robert Fulton receives support from a tavern owner and a shipyard worker to help realize his dream of a high-powered steamboat.

Vicki Meredith, an American ballet student in Paris, falls in love with Randall Williams, another American studying architecture in Paree, and they set up some light housekeeping together until she learns that Randall has forgotten to mention that he has a wife back in the USA. This miffs Vicki to the point where she ups and heads for South America where she meets and falls in love with Philip Fletcher, a construction engineer from America. But he hustles off to build Boulder Dam. They meet again in New York City and discover their separation has made their love even stronger. Then, Randall and his wife show up and sophistication rears its ugly head.