Summary
Edith Gilbert, the progeny of the affluent yet fiercely puritanical reformer Henry Gilbert, embarks on a journey for independence following her mother's demise. Drawn to the vivacity of Broadway, she finds entry into the performance world as a café dancer through the serendipitous connection with a boardinghouse roommate. In this new milieu, Edith captures the attention of both the worldly Monte Hermann and the earnest, romantically smitten youth, Norman Van Pelt. Under Hermann's guidance, she falls under the dubious 'protection' of Mrs. Alcott, a woman of questionable societal standing. Despite Edith's fervent denials, Norman's suspicions regarding her new lifestyle compel him to retreat to Europe. Simultaneously, Henry Gilbert, having remarried the cunning Belle Galloway, discovers Edith's profession. Outraged, he orchestrates her commitment to a reformatory, a crucible that leaves her mentally and physically shattered. However, Gilbert's own awakening to Belle's duplicitous nature leads him to sever ties, and in a profound act of atonement, he seeks out Edith. Their reconciliation culminates in a journey abroad, where Edith finds a joyful reunion with Norman.
Synopsis
Edith Gilbert, the daughter of Henry Gilbert--a wealthy but bigoted and puritanical reformer--leaves home following her mother's death to seek her fortune on Broadway. Through her boardinghouse roommate, Edith gets work as a cafe dancer. At the cafe, she attracts man-about-town Monte Hermann and also Norman Van Pelt, a youth who falls in love with her. At Hermann's suggestion, Mrs. Alcott, an unsavory society woman, takes Edith under her protective wing; and despite Edith's denials of his base suspicions, Norman leaves for Europe to forget her. Meanwhile, Gilbert, who has married Belle Galloway, a designing spinster, is shocked to learn that Edith is a cabaret dancer and has her committed to a reformatory, where she is crushed mentally and physically. Discovering that Belle is only a scheming hypocrite, however, Gilbert pays her to leave him, and he seeks out Edith to atone for the past. They go abroad, and Edith is happily reunited with Norman.
