The Pool is the story of Venkatesh, a "room boy" working at a hotel in Panjim, Goa, who sees from his perch in a mango tree a luxuriant garden and shimmering pool hidden behind a wall. In making whatever efforts he can to better himself, Venkatesh offers his services to the wealthy owner of the home. Not content to simply dream about a different life, Venkatesh is inquisitive about the home's inhabitants-indeed about the world around him-and his curiosity changes the shape of his future.

　　During a cross-country lecture tour, notoriously acerbic radio personality Sheridan Whiteside slips on the icy steps of the house of the Stanleys, a prominent Ohio family, and is forced to recuperate in their home during the Christmas holidays. The overbearing, self-centered celebrity soon comes to dominate the lives of the residents and everyone else who enters the household. He encourages young adults Richard and June Stanley to pursue their dreams, much to the dismay of their conventional father Ernest.
　　Meanwhile, Whiteside's spinster assistant Maggie Cutler finds herself attracted to local newspaperman Bert Jefferson. When she reads Bert's play, she is so impressed she asks Whiteside to show it to his contacts, and then announces she will quit his employment and marry Bert. However, her boss is loath to lose such an efficient aide and does his best to sabotage the blossoming romance...

　　莉娜·邓纳姆(《都市女孩》)执导、编剧的新片《锋利的棍子》(Sharp Stick)杀青，这是她11年来完成的首部电影长片。
　　克里斯汀·弗劳赛斯(《寻找阿拉斯加》《助理》)、泰勒·佩吉(《掷地有声》《蓝调天后》)、詹妮弗·杰森·李、乔·博恩瑟、斯科特·斯比德曼(《黑夜传说》《野兽家族》)以及邓纳姆参演，围绕女性复杂的性意识展开，颠覆“可爱的”女性主角的概念。

　　玛丽埃特（凯·弗朗西斯 Kay Francis 饰）是个腰缠万贯作风轻浮的漂亮寡妇，经营着一间公司。一次偶然中，她和一个名叫里瓦尔（赫伯特·马歇尔 Herbert Marshall 饰）的男人相识了。里瓦尔英俊潇洒风流倜傥，玛丽埃特很快就被他的魅力所征服，雇佣他成为了自 己的私人秘书，这正是里瓦尔所梦寐以求的。
　　原来，里瓦尔系化名，这个风度翩翩的男人的真实身份是一名国际大盗，他和曾经的情人莉莉（米利亚姆·霍普金斯 Miriam Hopkins 饰）联手，企图将玛丽埃特的财产据为己有。公司董事长阿道夫（C·奥布雷·史密斯 C. Aubrey Smith 饰）察觉了里瓦尔的阴谋并告诉了玛丽埃特，可玛丽埃特并不相信他的忠告，里瓦尔的阴谋眼看就要得逞。

　　爱娜（卡蒂·奥廷宁 Kati Outinen 饰）和凯瑞（Kari Väänänen 饰）是一对感情十分要好的夫妻，他们一个是餐厅经理，一个是电车司机，尽管经济并不宽裕，甚至有些“紧巴巴”，但很显然，照此发展，两人的未来充满了光明和希望。
　　经济危机的到来让爱娜和凯瑞的家庭也陷入了危机，爱娜所在的餐厅破产倒闭，凯瑞在公司的“裁员抓阄”中不幸中彩，夫妻两人同时失去了工作，家里的贷款还未还完，生活露出了真实而残酷的面孔，爱娜和凯瑞不知该如何是好。虽然丢掉了工作，但夫妻两并没有丢掉斗志和尊严，为了生存，他们做出了种种努力，不幸的是，这些努力均以失败告终。在此走投无路之际，爱娜曾经的老板出现在了爱娜的面前，他带来了一个机会，它有可能坏的，但也有可能是好的。