弗朗西斯卡是一名怀孕的洛杉矶寡妇，她前往已故丈夫的明尼苏达州家乡，终于见到了他的母亲和家人。在遭到婆婆冰冷的接受，然后被困在暴风雪中之后，弗朗西斯卡开始发现丈夫家庭的可怕秘密。

A writer has a mental breakdown, unable to deal with the society around him.

Professor Mauthner, after many years of exile (having emigrated in 1933 to the USA), returns to Germany in 1948. He can in fact return to his teaching post, but the rejection and petty intrigues of his reactionary colleagues and students make his work almost unbearable.

前摔跤手、田纳西州警长布福德·普瑟（Buford Pusser）走路很高，手里拿着一根大棒，与全县的腐败和月光下的暴徒搏斗。

With the help of the singer and dancer Dixie Leonhard, U.S. entertainer Eddie Sparks wants to bring some fun to the soldiers during World War II. Becoming a perfect team, they tour from North Africa to the Pacific to act for "the boys". Later, they continue their work, but when the author Silver gets involved into McCarthy's campaign, and is being fired by Eddie, Dixie turns away from him, too.

A librarian devotes her life to caring for her wheelchair-bound tyrannical father after being stood up at altar. She fantasizes his death and finds joy only with her pet monkey. When the monkey disappears, a shocking past is revealed.

本片的英文原名贝恩（Ben）即为这群智鼠的首领，它们因为不再听从训练它们智慧的青年威拉德的指挥，险些被他毒死。贝恩先发制人，率群鼠咬死了他。拥有灵性的贝恩能够指挥群鼠肆虐超市及糖果店，咬死想消灭它们的人类，甚至能听懂人类的语言，和友善的人友好相处。它和患有心脏病的少年丹尼成了好友，它们常常一起在游戏室玩乐，并一起相拥而眠。然而人类不能容忍它们的存在，负责消灭它们的探长终于发现了它们的藏身之处，于是展开了人鼠大战……

美国南部的梅岗镇上住着父亲芬奇(格利高里·派克 Gregory Peck 饰)和他的一对儿女。尽管妻子已经亡故，一家人仍过得乐也融融，芬奇对儿女亦既严格又疼爱有加。父亲平时还对他们说过，不要杀死为人类唱歌的知更鸟，因为她们善良而从不伤害人。
芬奇除了是一个慈父，还是当地一名勇于伸张正义的律师。这天他接到一宗强奸案，被告是黑人罗宾逊（布洛克·皮特Brock Peters 饰），而受害者是一名白人女子。这样一个案件，在那个种族歧视相当严重的年代，罗宾逊的境况堪忧。即使芬奇找到了他没有犯罪的证据，也不足以让人们抛开种族成见。芬奇在法庭上奋力维护事实和法律的公正，然而却没能阻止人们根深蒂固的偏见。更糟糕的是，怀有种族偏见的白人已经把芬奇当作公敌，而罗宾逊也无法洗清罪名，更可悲的命运在等待着他。