在好莱坞的日落大道边，有一个荒废的豪宅，院子进里的游泳池里发现了剧本作者乔·吉利斯的尸体，故事由此展开 ······过气演员诺玛（葛洛丽亚·斯旺森 Gloria Swanson 饰）已经将近50岁，曾经的风华绝代正在她居住的荒废豪宅里慢慢凋谢，身边只有好友马克斯（埃里克·施特罗海姆Erich von Stroheim 饰）伺奉。她没放弃重燃光辉的梦想，《莎乐美》的剧本正待编写，而逃避债务逃至此地的没落编剧乔（威廉·霍尔登 William Holden饰），正是这项事业的最佳候选。诺玛收留他住下，给他提供舒适的环境写作，并慢慢的倾心于他。他们二人都被对方所吸引。乔对大导演马克斯作诺玛的管家侍候诺玛大为不解。剧本完成后，为了要把这本剧本送给老朋友导演塞西尔，诺玛带了乔，叫马克斯开车到摄影场。塞西尔导演只对这部老爷车感兴趣，并不喜欢诺玛的剧本，马克斯和乔都不敢把真像告诉诺玛。这时乔对在摄影场剧本部工作的贝蒂（南希·奥尔森 Nancy Olson 饰）一见钟情，若玛知道这件事后决意要破坏他们的感情，乔非常生气， 现在乔已经不能接受这个青春已逝的妇人。他拒绝了她，并转过身和贝蒂相爱，打得火热。诺玛得知了乔的“背叛”，她卑微地哀求他，却动摇不了他渐行渐远的心，诺玛终于举起枪对准正要离开的乔。

1947 film by Maxwell Shane

Wealthy Cynthia is in love with not-so-wealthy Roger, who is married to Marcia. The threesome is terribly modern about the situation, and Marcia will gladly divorce Roger if Cynthia agrees to a financial settlement. But Cynthia's wealth is in jeopardy because her trust fund will expire if she is not married by a certain date. To satisfy that condition, Cynthia arranges to marry Hagon Derk, who is condemned to die for a crime he didn't commit. She pays him so he can provide for his little sister. But at the last minute, Derk is freed when the true criminal is discovered. Expecting to be a rich widow, Cynthia finds herself married to a man she doesn't know and doesn't want to.

Prima donna Rita Coventry charms Richard Parrish from his fiancée, Alice Meldrum. Tiring of Parrish, Miss Coventry casts him aside and begins a flirtation with Patrick Delaney, a piano tuner of some musical talent. Parrish attempts to return to Alice, who, on the advice of a girl friend, rebuffs him; later she agrees to become his wife. A lost film.