Mayor Alcala is given a chance to react as a man first, and a politician second, in this love story with an inevitable unhappy ending. Janice Rule is cast as a strong-willed member of the city council who opposes Mayor Alcala's proposed plans for a new water system. The two vivid personalities clash and fall in love — but there's a hitch — Miss Rule is a dying woman.

Christopher Connelly plays a young medical student and part-time city worker who comes to Mayor Alcala seeking help. The boy has performed an emergency tracheotomy on the victim of a car crash, saved the man's life, but now is being sued. Severn Darden plays the big lawyer handling the case. Henry Jones is the victim and Fay Spain plays his wife. A man named Booth, who donated a big sum into Alcala's campaign, wants the Mayor to do something about illegal workers.

Ed Nelson guest stars with Laurie Prange. — We learn tonight that Mayor Alcala (Anthony Quinn) plays the saxophone and gets his relaxation and enjoyment playing with the school orchestra. As a result, the mayor and the school's principal develop a close friendship. Mayor Alcala's school for gifted young artists is threatened when a harpist accuses the principal of causing her pregnancy. The future of the Thomas J. Alcala School of Music and Art, founded by Mayor Alcala, is jeopardized when principal Philip Eastman is accused by young harpist Janet Fields of causing her pregnancy. Mayor Alcala, who enjoys playing saxophone with the school's youth orchestra, believes in Eastman's innocence and realizes that a scandal could cut off funds for the school for gifted youngsters. While Janet's father, Alfred Fields, orders Alcala to get rid of Eastman, the mayor begins an investigation.