Set in New York, the film tells a story about the life of legendary Jazz singer, Billie Holiday. She lives a poor life as a housekeeper in a brothel in Baltimore and then quits it to become a showgirl. Her debut as a singer after is not easy and she falls in love with Louis, who encourages her by a tip. But then the harsh experiences in career leads Billie to take drugs, which causes her imprisoned. But after all, Louis is still on her side, helps her to gave up drugs and get back to singing.