Summary
On the precipice of matrimonial bliss, Helen Winthrop's world fractures when her inebriated father tumbles fatally down the staircase, clutching a damning ancestral confession: alcoholism has poisoned four generations of Winthrops. In a radical act of self-sacrifice, she shatters her engagement to barrister Robert Craig, fearing the hereditary curse might manifest in future offspring. Exiling herself to a lakeside resort after tarnishing her own reputation to shield adulterous friend Stella Scarr, Helen channels turmoil into athletic prowess, dominating a tennis tournament while captivating Percy Farwell, scion of social-climbing matriarch Honorah. When Honorah enlists Robert to dismantle this 'unsuitable' union, Helen orchestrates a dangerous charade—feigning intoxication at an engagement party to probe Robert's lingering devotion. The matriarch retaliates by weaponizing Stella's cuckolded husband Sidney, whose public accusation ignites a cathartic brawl with Robert. Only then, with fists flying and facades crumbling, does Helen reveal her ruse: ginger ale masquerading as gin, proving both her sobriety and Robert's unwavering love.
Synopsis
When her drunken father dies from falling downstairs on the night of her engagement announcement, Helen Winthrop finds a note from him warning that drinking has ruined the family's past four generations. She breaks her engagement to lawyer Robert Craig so that she can test herself as she fears that her children might inherit the habit. After sacrificing her reputation to save that of her adulterous married friend Stella Scarr, Helen goes to a resort hotel where she wins a tennis tournament and flirts with Percy Farwell, the son of social climber Mrs. Honorah Farwell. In order to break up her son's romance with a supposedly disgraced woman, Mrs. Farwell hires Robert Craig. During a party, Percy announces their engagement, and Helen acts intoxicated to test Robert's feelings for her. When Mrs. Farwell convinces Stella's husband Sidney to accuse Helen of wrongdoing, Robert fights him. Helen then accepts Robert's love and admits she was only drinking ginger ale.
