Jasmine Anderson runs away from her riverboat home to pursue a life of fame. She flees to a showboat where she gains small roles and attracts the seductive attention of the lead actor and the bitter jealousy of a veteran actress. Meanwhile, David Foster is relentless in his loving pursuit of Jasmine. He finds her on the showboat and takes a job himself, trying to protect her from the hard world she's immersed herself in. Then a great tragedy on the river sets off a chain of events that creates promising new opportunities but also grave danger for Jasmine—and ultimately the chance to discover a dream truly worth living and sacrificing for.