Summary
Martha Mason, once shunned by the provincial denizens of Newboro, abandons the town only to ascend the glittering echelons of celebrity over seven restless years. Upon her triumphant return, she announces a magnanimous endowment earmarked for a local civic institution, a gesture that instantly ignites the town’s latent avarice. Ben Colwell, an ambitious power‑broker with matrimonial designs on Anne Paisley—the daughter of Newboro’s wealthiest patriarch—sees in Martha’s fortune a more lucrative conduit for his aspirations. He covertly intercepts the donation, hoping to divert the funds toward his own political machinations. When he discovers that Martha’s net worth eclipses $30 million, his attentions pivot dramatically; he courts the starlet with the same self‑serving fervor he once reserved for Anne. Martha, ever the virtuoso of social chess, feigns reciprocal interest, orchestrating a public spectacle that culminates in Colwell’s humiliation before the entire community. The debacle shatters his political trajectory, leaving him a cautionary footnote in Newboro’s collective memory, while Martha, satisfied by the town’s humbled state, departs once more, this time on her own terms.
Synopsis
After being snubbed by the townspeople of Newboro, Martha Mason leaves town to make a name for herself. She returns seven years later as a famous celebrity and decides to donate a large sum to one of the town's civic organizations. Her gift is thwarted by Ben Colwell, who has political ambitions. Colwell has plans to marry Anne Paisley, daughter of the richest man in town. But when Colwell learns that Martha is worth $30 million, he turns his affections to her. She encourages him only to show him up in front of the whole town. Colwell's political ambitions are shattered, and a satisfied Martha leaves town.
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