In pre-World War II Tokyo the American newspaper editor Nick Condon (James Cagney) working for an English-language daily paper aimed at the American business community is given a document relating to Japan's foreign affairs which could have political ramifications if found. He meets up with Iris Hilliard (Sylvia Sidney), a woman who wants to secure the document even if it means dealing with the Japanese secret police and their threats.

In this adaptation of William Saroyan's award-winning play The Time of Your Life, James Cagney plays a gentle barfly named Joe who settles in Nick's (William Bendix) Bar with various colorful characters like an imaginative old cowboy or a tap dancing comic who can't get laughs. His sister Jeanne plays Kitty Duval, a woman who claims to once have been in burlesque. She and her brother have some of the most touching scenes in the movie. The pace takes a while to get used to but if you're in the mood for something optimistically offbeat, The Time of Your Life should be up your alley.

A New York bandleader journeys to Hollywood when he is offered a contract with a studio, but he is determined to do things his way and not theirs.