Summary
In an audacious gambit against an unyielding fate, a grieving Countess, reeling from the sudden demise of her newborn, orchestrates a profound deception: she substitutes her lost heir with the infant son of Ayla, a Romani woman ostracized by her tribe. This clandestine act, born of desperation and a desire to spare her husband the anguish of heirlessness, sets the stage for a simmering generational drama. Thirty-five years hence, the 'supposititious' Justin Winthrop Jr. stands poised on the precipice of political ascendancy, his brilliant career a testament to the Countess’s sacrifice. Yet, the past, embodied by a deathbed confession and a vengeful rival, Beresford, begins to unravel the meticulously woven fabric of his identity. Ayla, now the enigmatic clairvoyant Madam de Thebes, unknowingly becomes a pawn in this high-stakes political chess match, her tragic destiny intertwined with the son she never raised. As love blossoms between Justin and Beresford’s daughter, Louise, the truth threatens to erupt, culminating in a public confrontation where Ayla, with a final, heart-rending act of maternal protection, sacrifices her life to safeguard her son's honor and future, her silent devotion echoing beyond the grave.
Synopsis
Prologue: While away on important business Justin Winthrop receives the news of the birth of a son; his supreme wish is now granted, since he is provided with an heir to his vast estates. Countess Winthrop, while walking in the grounds of her country estate, encounters a young gypsy mother, Ayla, and her babe, who relates how she has been cursed by her father the gypsy chief, and turned away from the tribe on account of her nameless child. Countess Winthrop gives shelter to the homeless ones, and that night the Winthrop baby, who has been ailing, dies. The Countess, realizing what a terrible disappointment this will be to her husband, forthwith takes the gypsy baby to replace her own, and gives Ayla a locket containing her photograph. Thirty-Five Years Later: The supposititious Justin Winthrop. Jr., has become a distinguished politician, and it is expected that he will be appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. Beresford, who is infuriated by this rumor, receives a call from Winthrop's butler, who brings a letter written by the Countess upon her deathbed, informing her son that she is not his real mother, but that he is the son of a gypsy woman. This letter will make Beresford an irresistible weapon against his opponent. He consults Ayla, now known as Madam de Thebes, the famous clairvoyant, and she predicts a great political victory for him. While on his way to the Senate, Winthrop rescues Louise Beresford from a robber, and love at first sight ensues. Upon her return home Louise overhears her father and the butler discussing the letter, which the latter has stolen from Winthrop's desk. Louise at once warns Justin. Madam de Thebes, fearing arrest, sends the locket given her by the Countess to Louise knowing of the love Louise has for her son. Unconscious of the harm she is doing Justin, Louise shows her father the locket, thereby providing Beresford with all the weapons against Winthrop. Madam de Thebes. who has been arrested, escapes from prison through Louise's help and reaches the House of Parliament in time to refute the public accusation of Beresford, that Winthrop is the son of the gypsy fortune-teller. She falls fainting and is carried to an antechamber, where Beresford and Winthrop become reconciled. Madam de Thebes, subduing to the very last the desire to clasp her son to her heart, dies, and her failing senses can no longer hear her son's tender whisper: "My mother."
