Summary
Doris Morse, the heiress to a copper empire, flees the suffocating gaze of gold-diggers and societal expectations by escaping to Atlantic City, where she stumbles into a tender romance with Philip Hazard, a humble yet principled clerk. Their love, built on the fragile foundation of concealed identities, unravels when Philip discovers her wealth, triggering a tempest of pride and insecurity. As her father, Digby Morse, orchestrates a theatrical disavowal to preserve the illusion of equality, the union teeters between sincerity and artifice. The climax—a violent yet cathartic confrontation over stolen bonds—strips away the protagonists' facades, forcing Doris to confront the corrosive weight of excess and the paradox of financial independence. The film navigates the tension between social class and genuine affection with a blend of melodrama and psychological nuance, framing marriage as a battleground of self-discovery.
Synopsis
Doris Morse, the daughter of wealthy copper magnate Digby Morse, is eager to escape the unwelcome attentions of the many fortune hunters who pursue her, so she steals away to Atlantic City for a vacation. There she falls in love with Philip Hazard, an earnest and hard working young man, but because his income is so meager, she poses as a Macy's counter girl to avoid wounding his pride. When, by accident, he finally learns of her wealth, the two quarrel. In order to save the romance, her father pretends to disown her, but at the wedding, he secretly gives her a large sum of money in bonds. Doris soon wearies of her modest home and begins to spend the money on furniture and servants, which so piques her husband that he decides to steal the bonds from her safe. Doris is awakened by the noise and fires a shot, wounding Philip. The shock of injuring her husband brings Doris to her senses, and she agrees to live solely on his income.
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