James Stewart, Jean Arthur and Claude Rains star in Frank Capra's classic drama which garnered eleven Oscar nominations. When naive Jefferson Smith (Stewart) is chosen to replace a recently deceased senator, he heads for Washington full of idealistic dreams of serving his country, looking forward to working with his idol: senior senator Joseph Paine (Rains). Upon his arrival, he is ridiculed in the press for his gullibility, but with the aid of his secretary, Saunders (Arthur), he begins to realise that the world of politics is a cut-throat one full of double dealing. When he discovers that Paine is working on a scheme for a new dam which will only profit him and his cronies, Smith sets out to expose the man he formerly idolised.