Summary
In the gilded cage of early 20th-century Bostonian high society, Sheila Athlone, an artist-illustrator of discerning spirit, finds herself increasingly stifled by the rigid decorum personified by her fiancé, Robert Ames. Her artistic sensibilities chafe against the expected societal ballet, a sentiment further underscored when she unequivocally rejects a commission to illustrate a narrative she deems utterly preposterous: the notion of a woman bestowing a kiss upon a man encountered a mere four hours prior. This artistic and philosophical stand becomes a gauntlet thrown, inadvertently challenging the author, Brian Moore, whose very narrative she dismisses. Moore, a man of unconventional charm and persuasive intellect, undertakes a clandestine experiment in romantic empiricism. Assuming the guise of a humble butcher boy, he orchestrates an encounter, luring the skeptical Sheila to a bucolic country orchard. His initial, gentle overtures are met with the expected rebuff, a testament to Sheila's ingrained propriety. However, the unfolding drama takes an unexpected, perilous turn when Moore, with a flash of spontaneous courage, averts a looming tragedy by saving a child from an impending explosion. This act of profound heroism shatters Sheila's carefully constructed defenses, revealing the superficiality of her initial judgments. With only two minutes remaining on Moore's self-imposed temporal challenge, her admiration for his bravery transcends societal dictates and intellectual skepticism, culminating in the very kiss she had so vehemently declared impossible, a spontaneous affirmation of an unexpectedly forged connection.
Synopsis
Although she finds the stiff Bostonian manners of her fiancé, Robert Ames, unsuited to her temperament, artist-illustrator Sheila Athlone refuses to illustrate an author's story because of its "absurd" premise that a girl would kiss a man she met only 4 hours earlier. Author Brian Moore, setting out to prove his point, poses as a butcher boy and induces her to ride out to a country orchard. His advances are refused until he saves a child from an explosion, and 2 minutes before the time limit, in admiration of his bravery, she allows him to kiss her.
