Eager to land a journalistic position, Adam White goes to work as an advice-giving newspaper columnist       His editor, Shrike, takes pleasure in browbeating his alcoholic wife Florence for her past adultery, and assigning his employees journalistic jobs for which they have little aptitude or interest       Shrike goads Adam into meeting one of his correspondents, Fay Doyle, a teary, self-pitying woman who makes a play for him       Adam is torn between his loyalty to the newspaper and his girl Justy