Eight-year-old
Lillian Roth is constantly pushed by her domineering
stage mother Katie to audition and act. When Lillian is a young adult, Katie secures an opportunity that launches her musical career. Even though 20 years have passed, Katie still is managing Lillian, as well as running her life and career choices. Lillian learns that her childhood friend David is in the hospital, and they soon fall in love. Because David is an entertainment company lawyer, he is able to secure Lillian shows at some large venues, including the
Palace Theatre. However, David feels that Katie is projecting her own ambitions onto Lillian and overworking her, and Katie believes that a new man in Lillian's life only serves to distract from her high-profile career. When Lillian informs her mother she intends to marry David, Katie is disappointed and sees a repeat of her own life happening. David suddenly falls ill and dies during the opening night of Lillian's show, and she is despondent at having lost the love of her life. Rebelling against her mother's domineering ways, Lillian turns to drinking. One night, in a drunken stupor, she marries aviator Wallie but does not remember it when sober. They remain married, but the marriage is loveless from the beginning and they both drink to excess. Lillian's career suffers as a result of her persistent alcoholism, and she spends all of her money without booking new shows. The couple divorces after Wallie says he is "sick of being Mr. Lillian Roth". Two years later, Lillian falls for fellow alcoholic Tony Bardeman. However, Lillian endures
alcohol withdrawal when she stops drinking to please her mother, and she instead becomes a secret drinker. Lillian begs Tony to stay with her and they agree to stop drinking together, but once they are married, Tony starts to drink and Lillian is outraged. When she tries to stop him from drinking and leave him, he beats her. She escapes Tony's clutches and travels to New York to live with her mother but contemplates suicide after they fight. Lillian takes refuge in an
Alcoholics Anonymous shelter but suffers bouts of
delirium tremens as she experiences withdrawal. She begins to fall for her sponsor Burt McGuire, but the crippling effects of childhood
polio make him wary of a relationship. As Lillian continues her recovery, she is invited to appear on the
This Is Your Life television program to share her story of alcoholism and recovery. ==Cast==