A woman dreams of a picture-perfect life but finds she's close to losing everything. Gorgeous Fanny Trellis (Bette Davis) appears to have her choice of men, and wealthy Job Skeffington (Claude Rains) is her pick. Fanny's marriage plans are to preserve her family's reputation, but her machinations are rendered meaningless when her brother Trippy (Richard Waring) is killed in World War I. For Fanny and Job, the following years will be colored by loss, longing and self-discovery.