Don Birnam (Ray Milland)’s Timeline and Summary
- Don Birnam tries to retrieve a bottle of booze he'd hung out of his window as he packs for a weekend getaway with his brother, Wick.
- Don's bottle's discovered after he convinces his brother to see a performance with Don's girlfriend, Helen.
- After searching for another hidden stash of booze, Don steals the cleaning lady's paycheck and buys two bottles of whiskey.
- He gets so drunk at Nat's Bar that he misses his train.
- When Don returns home, he sees Helen waiting outside, so he sneaks past her.
- Don promptly hides one bottle and chugs the other.
- The next morning, having forgotten about the hidden bottle, Don goes to Nat's Bar. Nat reminds him of his stash.
- Don accidentally makes a date with a girl named Gloria, though he has no intention of keeping it.
- Don returns home claiming that he is going to write his novel, The Bottle. He fails.
- After another failed house search, Don goes to an upscale bar and steals a purse. He's discovered and kicked out.
- Upon returning home, Don immediately discovers his hidden bottle, gets drunk, and passes out.
- Broke and booze-less, Don tries to sell his typewriter the following morning, but all of the pawnshops are closed because it's Yom Kippur.
- Don sees Gloria's apartment and stops by. He convinces her to give him money by kissing her.
- As he descends her stairs, Don trips and falls.
- He wakes up in an alcoholic ward.
- The nurse tells him about alcohol withdrawal and the futility of fighting addiction.
- Don escapes that night when a fellow alcoholic has a withdrawal-fueled freak out. He waits outside of a liquor store until it opens and then intimidates the owner into giving him a bottle.
- After returning home and killing half of the bottle, Don experiences hallucinations associated with alcohol withdrawal.
- His landlady hears this and calls Helen. Helen arrives and calms him down. They go to sleep.
- The next morning, Don steals Helen's coat and trades it at a pawnshop for a gun. He wants to kill himself.
- Helen interrupts him, although he manages to get ahold of the gun before she does.
- Suddenly, Nat appears with Don's typewriter—he had picked it up after Don's accident.
- Don realizes that he can find purpose in his writing and kicks drinking.