Tally Atwater is one of the most trusted figures in the nation. A familiar and comforting face to the millions of network TV news viewers who invite her into their homes every day, Tally is an articulate, sophisticated and charming newscaster. But she didn't start out that way. A onetime waitress and casino craps dealer named Sallyanne, from Reno, Nevada, she pursued a dream with nothing but ambition, raw talent and a homemade demo tape. Going from smalltown weathergirl to prime-time network anchor, her meteoric rise to prominence is aided and abetted by Warren Justice, a brilliant, older newsman who becomes her mentor and lover. As their relationship grows, so too does Tally's celebrity, to the point where her popularity begins to eclipse his.

A newsroom veteran trains a young woman to become a successful newscaster and falls in love with her.