Summary
Pamela Gordon, Violet West, and Kate West, three disenchanted women bound by a collective oath to eschew matrimony, co‑habit in a modest flat whose door bears a stark proclamation: “No man shall cross this threshold.” Their sanctuary, a fortress of self‑imposed austerity, is breached when Edgar Holt, a beleaguered husband fleeing a tempest of jealousy, stumbles into their domain seeking refuge. Instantly smitten by Pamela’s austere beauty, Edgar attempts to infiltrate her resolve, only to be expelled through a precarious window perched atop an ironing board that overlooks a narrow courtyard. Undeterred, Edgar orchestrates a subtle courtship, securing Pamela a confidential secretary role within his firm, thereby weaving himself into the fabric of her daily existence. As the narrative unfolds, hidden truths surface: Kate, long presumed single, is secretly married, while Violet, the most reticent of the trio, is engaged to an unnamed suitor. These revelations erode the women’s barricades, particularly Pamela’s, whose private tenderness burgeons into an undeniable affection for Edgar. The climax arrives when Edgar, in a desperate bid to re‑enter the courtyard through the same precarious window, is rescued by a now‑transformed Pamela, who embraces him, surrendering her vows and allowing love to eclipse her erstwhile convictions.
Synopsis
Man-haters Pamela Gordon, Violet and Kate West, each disappointed in love, vow never to marry, and room together with a sign above their door reading "No man shall cross this threshold." When Edgar Holt enters their room to escape an irate husband whose jealousy he mistakenly aroused, he falls in love with Pamela, but she makes him leave through a window across an ironing board over a courtyard. Edgar woos Pamela but he is unsuccessful in breaking down her resolve, even though she privately softens and develops a love for him. To help her, Edgar secretly gets her a position as a confidential secretary with his firm. When Pamela discovers that Kate had been married for some time and that Violet is engaged, she finally succumbs to Edgar when she rescues him in his attempt to enter her apartment through the courtyard window, and yields to his embrace.
