The plo t revol ves aro und Richard B ean (Kline), a Broadway  star known for his egotis m, who exper iences a pu blic breakdow n and retre ats to his h ometown.  After re turning  to the family-r un theater  where he first discovered his talent,  he finds hi s fathe r, the form er arti stic director, sufferi ng from  dementia. The  theater,  now red uced to  a dinner the ater servin g murder m ysteries, is  run by his  brother (Tenne y) and sister-i n-law, wh o is also t he town’ s mayor. De termined  to restore t he theate r’s former glory, Rich ard plans to stage a gr eat Ameri can classi c, with hims elf as di rector and  star, in an effor t to save b oth the th eater a nd the town.！