故事发生在1873年的美国匹兹堡斯考特钢厂之中。玛丽（葛丽亚·嘉逊 Greer Garson 饰）跟姐姐和身患残疾的父亲帕特（莱昂纳尔·巴里摩尔 Lionel Barrymore 饰）一起过着相依为命的生活。因为家中赤贫，玛丽决定到当地的富豪斯考特先生家所举办的宴会上做女佣来补贴家用，在宴会上，玛丽有幸结识了斯考特家的大小姐康妮（玛莎·亨特 Marsha Hunt 饰）、二少爷威利（丹·德亚 Dan Duryea 饰）、三少爷泰德（马歇尔·汤普森 Marshall Thompson 饰）以及大少爷保罗（格利高里·派克 Gregory Peck 饰）。
影片讲述了贝尔饰演的主人公罗塞尔·贝兹（Russell Baze）在经历了四年牢狱被释放后，发现自己的弟弟（卡西·阿弗莱克饰）被残忍地谋杀了。为了复仇，罗塞尔踏上了追踪杀手的历程。佐伊·索尔达娜饰演罗塞尔的爱情对象，山姆·夏普德出演贝兹兄弟的叔叔。
A recently laid off steel mill worker in a little seaside town starts losing his wife to a local TV anchor.
Steve Kostain, nephew of the owner, begins working at a steel mill to learn the business from the bottom up. He rooms with a steel working family, the McNamaras, and falls for the daughter, "Red", who is already involved with another steelworker. Although he is at first has a hard time with his co-workers, he eventually wins them over, and also wins the girl.
John Dawson loses control of his factory when he is crippled in an accident caused by a rival. Destitute, he travels the country organizing the homeless to help him regain control of his steel mill.
A European immigrant becomes a master of industry but almost loses his family.
A former All-American football star, now working as a steel mill supervisor in New Jersey, falls in love with the mill owner's wealthy, very spoiled daughter.
William Reardon, a steel magnate, dies and leaves a strange will. When his spineless and dandified heir and son returns home from living in Paris, he finds "Tons' Walker, a strong and burly steel worker running the company, per his late-father's will request. He also finds that his father's will specifies the Junior will change his name to Bill Hall and work in the family steel mill for a year under the fake name. Walker's job is to make a man out of the son. The son is not overjoyed by this prospect. Neither is Walker.
This drama chronicles the education of a naive, rich young woman who inherits a steel mill. To help her keep it running she unites with a man. Meanwhile two crooks try to destroy her production in order to force her to sell it to them for very little money. They are thwarted at the last moment.
Austin Starfield has his greedy eye on a steel mill belonging to Eve Burnside. He persuades an impoverished count, Leon Molnar to marry Eve so he can then gain control of her fortune.