When a young actress (Janet Gaynor) arrives in Hollywood with hopes of stardom, a chance encounter places her under the wing of older actor Norman Maine (Fredric March). Adopting the stage name Vicki Lester, she co-stars with Norman in a major motion picture, but his success is clearly fading even a

s her career begins. After the couple wed, Vicki's fame continues to grow, but Norman descends into alcoholism, and she must decide between pursuing her dream and caring for him.