Summary
Raised within the suffocating strictures of a puritanical spinster aunt, Sheila Fairfax finds her meticulously crafted innocence shattered by an unforeseen, albeit chaste, nocturnal encounter with José Gonzales. This incident, regardless of its blameless nature, irrevocably tarnishes her reputation in the unforgiving gaze of society. Defying the whispers, Dick Morris, a steadfast mining engineer, offers her matrimony. Yet, on their wedding night, Sheila's deeply ingrained fears, the insidious legacy of her repressive upbringing, manifest as an overwhelming terror, causing her to recoil from Dick's embrace. Misinterpreting her fright as a lack of affection, a wounded Dick retreats to South America, ostensibly to secure a mine from the formidable Don Alfonso. A profound revelation dawns upon Sheila: her aunt's pervasive influence and the false modesty it instilled are the true architects of their marital chasm. Driven by a burgeoning desire to reclaim her husband and embrace her own burgeoning self, she embarks on a courageous pursuit. Fate, however, orchestrates a cruel twist: Dick and Sheila become guests of Don Alfonso, who is, shockingly, José Gonzales's uncle. A dangerous rivalry ignites between Alfonso and José for Sheila’s attention, culminating in a violent confrontation where Alfonso fatally dispatches his nephew. Implicated in the murder by Alfonso's vengeful decree, Dick faces a summary execution by firing squad. With remarkable ingenuity and audacious courage, Sheila orchestrates a daring ruse, liberating Dick from the precipice of death. Their subsequent escape, a desperate dash for freedom, solidifies their bond, leading to a hard-won, blissful reunion, finally free from the specter of past repression and societal judgment.
Raised by a strict and puritanical spinster aunt, Sheila Fairfax is the innocent victim of a scandal caused by an all-night escapade with José Gonzales. In spite of her undeserved reputation, Dick Morris, a mining engineer, marries her. On their wedding night, she is so filled with fear of Dick's embraces that she repulses him. Thinking that Sheila does not love him, Dick goes to South America in order to buy a mine from Don Alfonso. Sheila follows, hoping to win him back, realizing that the influence of her repressed aunt is responsible for the false modesty that has separated them. Dick and Sheila become the guests of Don Alfonso, uncle of José Gonzales. Don Alfonso and José vie for her regard, and Alfonso kills José in a fight. Dick faces a firing squad under Alfonso's orders, but Sheila saves him by a ruse and they escape, happily reunited.
