The year is 1947, and Arthur Binkman, once the toast of Broadway, has returned from a self imposed exile with a new play. In order to determine if he still has “it”, a reading is arranged at the home of wealthy producers Horace and Kitty Manderly. With players including Arthur’s unfaithful ex-wife, his small town fiance, a former child star out of touch with reality and an unscrupulous actor determined to blackmail his way into the production, everyone is a potential target and everyone is a potential suspect.