The story of the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous. Bill Wilson, a good-time Charlie who returns home from World War I with a drinking problem, embarks on a Wall Street career, but jeopardizes his success with binges that become more and more frequent. When the stock market crashes in 1929, Wilson plunges into an alcoholic abyss that sorely tests his marriage and leaves him consumed with guilt and depression. Bill is powerless in his battle with the bottle until a spiritual experience in a detox ward and a friendship struck with a boozing surgeon instill in him new hope and purpose.