Lane Bellamy is a carnival dancer who tires of the life, decides to quit and effectively strands herself in the small town of Boldon City in the
Southern United States. She becomes romantically involved with Fielding Carlisle, a
deputy sheriff whose career is controlled by Sheriff Titus Semple, a corrupt political boss who runs the town. Semple dislikes Bellamy and mounts a campaign against her. She has difficulty finding work and is arrested on a trumped-up morality charge. Meanwhile, Carlisle is the
political machine's choice for state senator. Pushed by Semple to immerse himself in the perfect political family, Carlisle reluctantly marries his long-time girlfriend, Annabelle Weldon. Sad that the love of her life has essentially abandoned her, Bellamy finds work as a hostess at a
roadhouse run by Lute Mae Sanders. There, she meets Dan Reynolds, a businessman who supports the corrupt Semple so long as it is profitable. She charms Reynolds into marrying her and the couple moves to the town's best neighborhood, Flamingo Road. As a kingmaker in the state, Semple decides to run Carlisle for governor and unseat the incumbent. This is too much even for Reynolds and he is now moved to oppose Semple. When Carlisle, who has a weakness for alcohol, also begins to show his limits in cooperating, Semple flies into a rage and abandons him, destroying Carlisle's career. Then Semple makes himself the candidate. At this, Reynolds grows stronger in his opposition, so Semple arranges to have Reynolds framed. Later, a drunken Carlisle, who knows what's happening but feels the situation is hopeless, visits the mansion on Flamingo Road and commits suicide practically in front of Bellamy. This gives Semple another weapon in his bid to ruin Bellamy and her husband, who has now been indicted for
graft. Bellamy confronts Semple with a gun and demands he phone the attorney general and confess everything, but a physical struggle ensues and she shoots him dead. At the end, Bellamy is in prison awaiting what is intimated to be a favorable ruling and Reynolds indicates he will stick by her. ==Cast==