Summary
Marion Clark, a meticulous manicurist whose salon doubles as a silent courtroom of social stratification, dismisses the frivolous overtures of affluent, debauched patrons, reserving her admiration for Dick Strong, the principled city editor lodged in her boardinghouse. Dick's sister, Gladys, a restless ingénue yearning for the electric pulse of New York's nocturnal revelry, consents to a fellow boarder's invitation to a raucous soirée. There she encounters Malcolm Dunn, a charismatic yet morally bankrupt entrepreneur who habitually neglects his wife, Margaret. The liaison spirals when Gladys discovers an unexpected pregnancy and implores Marion for counsel. Incensed, Marion summons Malcolm, oblivious to Margaret's private detectives trailing her husband. The sleuths apprehend Malcolm within Marion's modest apartment, prompting Margaret to file for divorce and implicate Marion as an accomplice. To shield Gladys, Marion endures silent condemnation, but the truth inexorably surfaces, vindicating her virtue and culminating in a romantic union with Dick.
Synopsis
Marion Clark, a manicurist, is unimpressed by the wealthy but dissipated men who frequent her shop, preferring city editor Dick Strong, who lives in her boardinghouse. Dick's sister Gladys, however, is intrigued by the wilder side of life in New York and allows one of the boarders to take her to a lively party. There Gladys meets and becomes infatuated with Malcolm Dunn, a dissolute businessman who neglects his wife Margaret. When Gladys realizes that she is pregnant, she turns to Marion for advice. Outraged, Marion sends for Malcolm, not knowing that his wife has hired detectives to follow him. The detectives find Malcolm in Marion's apartment, and Margaret sues him for divorce, naming Marion as the correspondent. In order to protect Gladys, Marion remains silent, but in the end, the truth is revealed, and Marion wins Dick.
Director
