Elvis Presley plays Deke Rivers, a gas station attendent who is discoverd by publicist Glenda Markle (Lizabeth Scott) and country-western musician Tex Warner (Wendell Corey) who want to promote the talented newcomer to fame and fortune, first by changing Deke's name to Jimmy Tompkins, and giving him every break he deserves.

In the small Texas town of Delville, crooked politician Jim Tallman holds a political rally, hoping to drum up support for his faltering gubernatorial campaign. With no money coming in from Tallman's few supporters, press agent Glenda Markle informs her beau, band leader Walter "Tex" Warner, that they will not be receiving their paychecks that week. Tex, however, is more interested in complaining about his old boss, Howard Hawkins, who has become a big success using Tex's old arrangements, than worrying about money. Glenda tells Tex that he needs to find a gimmick in order to make it back to the top, and the gimmick suddenly appears in the form of a local boy named Deke Rivers. Though the older audience members, as well as Tex, dislike Deke's rhythmic singing style, Glenda quickly recognizes the effect the young man has on the teenagers in attendance. When she is unable to convince Deke to give up his delivery job for a singing career, Glenda gets the young man fired, forcing him to go on the road with Tex. Glenda then becomes the manager of Tex Warner and His Rough Ridin' Ramblers, and books the band in various small towns across Texas. As they become more and more successful, Deke is made an official member of the band, with a grateful Tex even buying the singer his own guitar. Protecting her own interest, however, Glenda signs Deke to a management contract that is separate from her oral agreement with Tex. Later, in order to drum up publicity, Glenda stages a fight between some teenagers and matronly women over Deke. Her plan works, and the band is soon booked in the Grand Theater in Amarillo, though Tex is told he must now give equal billing to Deke. The night before opening at the Grand, Deke gets into a fight with Wayne, a local bully, and soon teenagers are lined up around the theater to see the combative crooner. Among the most avid of Deke's new fans is Daisy Bricker, Wayne's ex-girl friend, who sneaks into the shy singer's dressing room. When Deke rebuffs her unwanted advances, Daisy calls him a coward, so he kisses her just as Glenda enters with a newspaper reporter and photographer. In order to drum up even more advance publicity for Deke's upcoming one-man concert in the Dallas suburb of Freegate, Glenda has Tex borrow against his life insurance so she can purchase a new convertible for the singer, which she tells Deke and the press was purchased anonymously by a wealthy widow who sees Deke as the son she never had. After Glenda goes away on a publicity trip, Tex learns about her secret contract with Deke, which accords her half of everything the singer makes. With three days off before the Freegate show, Tex convinces Deke to drive Susan Jessup, the band's innocent young female singer, to her family's farm in Farmingdale for a short visit. There, Susan informs Deke that the band has been fired, as promoter Carl Meade is only interested in booking him. An upset Deke tells Susan that he has been alone all his life and asks that she return to Freegate with him. Glenda then arrives with the new convertible and whisks Deke away before he can declare his love to Susan. On the trip to Freegate, Deke tells Glenda that he grew up in an orphanage in Woodbine. When the home caught on fire, he ran away and changed his name from Jimmy Tompkins to Deke Rivers after seeing the name on a gravestone. Finally, Deke tells Glenda that he does not feel alone in the world anymore, having made real friends in her, Tex, Susan and the band. Meanwhile, a women's morality committee forces the mayor of Freegate to cancel Deke's show. Seeing a chance for national exposure due to the controversy, Glenda arrange a coast-to-coast special with television executive Harry Taylor, but Tex informs her that Deke wants to give up show business and return to the Jessup farm. Glenda convinces Deke to stay by pretending to be in love with him. Before the telecast, Deke is shocked to learn that Glenda and Tex were once married, and though they are divorced, it is clear that the two are still very much in love. Finally realizing that Glenda's only interest in him has been financial, the wounded Deke drives off in his old hot-rod just as the television special is about to begin. After Deke crashes his car into a hillside, Glenda appears at the accident site and confesses all. She then tears up their contract and tells Deke it is time for him to stop running away from things. Deke then returns to Freegate and performs on the telecast, singing his feelings of love to Susan. The two young people are reunited, as are Tex and Glenda, and Deke asks Tex and Glenda to stay on as his new managers.