Peter Appleton is an ambitious young screenwriter working for HHS Studios during Hollywood's Golden Age--1951 in particular. "Ashes to Ashes" is about to be released, and he's dating its attractive star, Sandra Sinclair. Just when everything seems to be going his way, it is discovered that he (unwittingly) attended a Communist meeting during college when dragged there by his girlfriend at the time; thus, heavy suspicion settles over him and he must stand before Congress. Afraid of what might happen if they don't, HHS cancels Appleton's contract and aborts the film's release. Appleton promptly plunges into self-pity and spends nearly a whole night at a bar, then drives intoxicated through the streets of California until he plummets into a stormy river and is knocked unconscious. He washes up on the beaches of a small town called Lawson. The citizens are pleasant and likable, but the town is depressed and lifeless after losing 62 of its sons in World War II. One of them, Luke Trimble, was Missing in Action, and miraculously, Peter bears a striking resemblance to the black-and-white photos: close enough to fool even Luke's father Harry. And the alcohol and blow to the head have brought on amnesia, so Peter decides that he must be who they think he is. Besides, it's not a bad life: Luke's beautiful girlfriend, lawyer Adele Stanton, is all over him; the town has sudden sprung back to life with excitement, and he and his "father" rebuild a movie palace Harry used to run, The Majestic. Unfortunately, Peter's memory returns in time for G-men to track him down.