After Vietnam, Crystal Wyatt meets a returning soldier, Spencer Hill and although she is young they are drawn together and find they have a lot in common. Spencer's visit is fleeting and although he leaves, Crystal still thinks of him often. Crystal's father dies and her mother, who has never really loved Crystal, begins to mistreat her and use her as a skivvy. After years of this, Crystal is attacked and raped by her brother-in-law. When Crystal gets her father's shotgun to kill her brother-in law, her brother-in-law accidentally shoots her brother, and Crystal runs away from the farm to San Francisco where she becomes quite well known as a singer. Menawhile, Spencer has embarked upon a socially beneficial, yet ill-advised marriage, when he meets Crystal again in San Francisco. They embark on a hurtful affair, but the path does not run smooth for them. As intertwined as their lives are, it takes Spencer time to act like a decent man and do what is right.