Lady Sings The Blues

In a flashback to 1928, Billie Holiday is working as a housekeeper in a brothel in Baltimore where she is raped. She runs away to her mother, who sets up a job cleaning for another brothel. Eventually she is discovered by Harry and Reg Hanley, who sign her as a soloist for their southern tour in hopes of landing a radio network gig. The harsh experiences on the tour result in Billie taking drugs which Harry supplies her. She is arrested for possession of narcotics and removed from the clinic.