Summary
In a pastoral village, the moral dichotomy within the West family is starkly drawn: Joan embodies demure virtue, while her sister Mary pulses with a defiant, untamed spirit. Central to their intertwined destinies is Basil Forde, a gentle, hunchbacked boy, ostracized by peers yet tenderly regarded by Joan. Mary, however, harbors an visceral aversion to Basil, a repulsion that blossoms into deep-seated loathing after a public humiliation and subsequent expulsion from school. Years later, as young women, Mary's disdain for Basil persists, even as his unwavering, unrequited devotion leads him to offer his entire inheritance, only to be met with her cruel mockery. A catalyst arrives in Hugh Dean, a charming interloper who quickly captivates Mary, despite her familial betrothal to the respectable Rev. Bolton. Their clandestine affair is exposed by Basil, Joan, and Bolton, prompting Joan to bravely disclose her sister's transgression. Mary, defiant, elopes with Dean, embarking on a turbulent city life that culminates in their separation and her foray onto the stage. Basil, ever the loyal shadow, follows Mary to New York, discovering her plight and resolving to mend her broken marriage. Rejected by Mary, Basil summons Joan, who arrives seemingly transformed into a cynical, hedonistic city dweller. Basil, with poignant clarity, discerns this drastic shift as Joan's ultimate, self-sacrificing act, a desperate attempt to reach her sister, and in doing so, finally recognizes the profound, unspoken love Joan has always held for him. The sisters eventually return to the parsonage, a fragile reconciliation is brokered between Mary and Dean, and in a quiet testament to enduring affection, Basil and Joan find their destined union.
Synopsis
Joan and Mary are the daughters of Joseph West, pastor of the village church. Mary is wild; Joan is the reverse. Among the school children is Basil Forde, a hunchback, timid and gentle, but subject to much abuse from the other children because of his deformity. Pity has drawn Joan and Basil together, while Mary, whom Basil loves, loathes him. Mary is cruel to Basil and is commanded by the teacher to apologize to him. She refuses, and when the teacher attempts to chastise her Mary fights back and is expelled. When this is brought to her parents. Mary is punished, and develops a loathing for Basil that follows her through the coming years. Time passes and we see Mary and Joan grown. Basil is deeply in love with Mary, who despises him. Joan has never changed toward Basil. In his devotion to Mary, Basil never sees the wistful look In Joan's eyes. Basil lays the little fortune he inherited at the feet of Mary who only laughs and taunts him about his crooked back. Comes now a Tempter. This Hugh Dean son of a classmate of the pastors, is received into the family. Hugh pays court to Mary who has been promised in marriage by her parents to Mr. Bolton, the young rector of a neighboring parish. Mary is easily fascinated by Dean and he is requested to keep away from the parsonage, and they meet in secret. Mary and Dean are surprised on one of their secret meetings by Basil, Joan and Rev. Bolton, who decide that Mary's parents should be told. Joan makes the disclosure and Mary elopes to the city with Dean, and they are married. The quarrel and she finally leaves him and obtains a job on the stage. Basil follows Mary to New York. He meets Dean and learns from him that Mary and Dean have separated. Basil determines to effect a reconciliation. Mary refuses to see Basil, and he follows her to a café, where he finds her. Mary will not listen to Basil's pleadings, so he sends for Joan to come to the city. When Joan comes to Mary's apartment with Basil she is not the Joan of old; instead she is the gayest of the crowd, and drinks and smokes like the rest. Basil sees that all this is only a sacrifice of her self-respect for her sister's sake. He also discovers that Joan has loved him all the time. Mary and Joan return to the parsonage and Basil tells Dean that Mary is repentant. A reunion is effected. Later Basil and Joan are married.
