今年的萨拉·西登斯奖得主是年轻的伊芙·哈灵顿(安妮·巴克斯特 饰)。然而在去年十月,伊芙还只是一个连续数周默默注视名角玛戈·钱宁(贝蒂·戴维斯 饰)的戏迷。被玛戈的朋友凯伦·理查兹(塞莱斯特·霍姆 饰)带到玛戈面前后,伊芙讲述的经历打动了众人。玛戈收留了无依无靠的伊芙,伊芙也尽心尽力地打理玛戈的生活和工作,但是玛戈的侍伴伯迪·库南(塞尔玛·里特 饰)不喜欢研究玛戈的伊芙。热爱表演的伊芙当然不满足于做玛戈的助理,那么伊芙是怎样获得表演机会的?Eve (Anne Baxter) is waiting backstage to meet her "idol" aging Broadway Star, Margo Channing (Bette Davis). It all seems innocent enough as Eve explains that she has seen Margo in EVERY performance of the current play she is in. Only Playright critic DeWitt (George Sanders) sees through Eve's evil plan, which is to take her parts and fiancé, Bill Simpson (Gary Merrill) When the fiancé shows no interest, she tries for playwright Hugh Marlowe (Lloyd Richards) but DeWitt stops her. After she accepts her award, she decides to skip the after-party and goes to her room, where we find a young woman named Phoebe, who snuck into her room and fell asleep. This is where the "Circle of Life" now comes to fruition as Eve is going to get played the way she did Margo.