Dr. Tom Owen (Charlton Heston) is an Army doctor on leave to visit his mother, who still lives in the poor Pennsylvania mining town where he grew up. After falling in love with wealthy socialite Helen Curtis (Lizabeth Scott), Tom turns down a position as the local doctor and takes a lucrative job at an elite Pittsburgh clinic. Though he's happy with his newfound success and his recent engagement to Helen, a cave-in at the town mine forces Tom to decide where his heart really lies.