''People Will Talk'' describes an episode in the life of Dr. Noah Praetorius, a physician who teaches in a medical school and founded a clinic dedicated to treating patients humanely and holistically. The plot contains two parallel story lines: a professional-misconduct challenge brought against Praetorius by his more conventional colleague Dr. Rodney Elwell, who dislikes Praetorius's unorthodox but effective methods; and the struggle of a distressed young woman named Deborah Higgins, who falls in love with Praetorius while dealing with an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. The film also highlights Praetorius's close friend and confidant, physics professor Lyonel Barker, who plays Double bass in the student/faculty orchestra conducted by Praetorius.