Summary
Beneath the steeple's shadow, minister Hamilton Gregory extols domestic virtue to revival tent congregants, only to confront divine irony when waifish Fran materializes on his porch – a spectral reminder of abandoned flesh. As this cipher-child infiltrates his sterile household, she discovers Mrs. Gregory withering in conjugal neglect while secretary Grace Noir coils around the pulpit with serpentine ambition. Fran's explosive confession of bastardy ignites psychological warfare: she demands Grace's banishment, provoking Noir's retaliation through private investigator Clinton's excavation of secrets. The plot detonates when Fran's circus lineage surfaces amid sawdust and roaring beasts – disguised as lion tamer, she dances with mortality before the cages. Gregory's epiphany strikes mid-roar: blood outweighs lust, duty eclipses hypocrisy. His rejection of Grace becomes sacramental; Fran's union with the school superintendent stitches fractured morality into uneasy resolution.
Synopsis
After preaching at a camp revival meeting that charity begins in the home, Littleton minister Hamilton Gregory finds a girl calling herself only Fran on his doorstep and takes her into his home. Fran soon finds that Mrs. Gregory is unhappy because Gregory has no affection for her, preferring instead his secretary Grace Noir. When Fran admits to Gregory that she is his daughter by an abandoned woman, and attempts to have him get rid of Grace, Grace has Bob Clinton make inquiries concerning Fran's past. When the circus comes to town, Fran, in disguise, substitutes for an ill lion tamer, because the circus is her hidden background. Seeing her in danger, Gregory realizes his familial responsibilities and refuses Grace. Fran then marries the superintendent of her school.
Director
Cast
