When hedonistic but charming con man Elmer Gantry (Burt Lancaster) matches the beautiful Sister Sharon Falconer (Jean Simmons), a roadside revivalist, he feigns piousness to combine with her behave as a fervent preacher. A prosperous pair that is onstage is made by the two, and also love is extended to by also their chemistry. Both the show and their relationship have been threatened, but when a person of Gantry's ex-lovers (Shirley Jones) determines that she has a score to settle with all the magnetic celebrity.