Summary
In a sprawling urban landscape rife with moral ambiguities, Norma Harvey, a newspaperwoman of profound humanitarian bent, dedicates her existence to alleviating the stark suffering of the city's most vulnerable, its slum children. Yet, beneath this altruistic veneer, a deeply personal struggle endures: her steadfast affection for Craig Dunlap, the paramour of her formative years. Dunlap, a once-prominent legal mind, finds his career and reputation irrevocably shattered when his desperate attempts to conceal his kleptomaniac wife's transgressions — specifically, bribing a witness — come to light, leading to his ignominious disbarment. Their paths converge once more amidst the squalor he now inhabits; Norma, encountering a despondent Dunlap in a seedy establishment, extends her sanctuary, bringing him and a sightless orphan named Mazie into her modest home. This act of profound compassion, however, is misconstrued by a pair of censorious neighbors, whose wagging tongues and moralistic pronouncements lead to Mazie's removal from Norma's care, deeming her an unfit guardian. Undeterred, Norma, ever the moral compass, guides Dunlap toward a path of reconciliation with his estranged wife. This fragile truce is short-lived; a casual observation of his wife's boisterous, undignified revelry with friends shatters Dunlap's resolve, prompting his demand for a divorce. When his wife, obstinate, refuses, Dunlap leverages the looming threat of arrest for a past fur theft, compelling her reluctant consent. Following a period of demonstrating her unwavering integrity and maternal suitability, Norma successfully reclaims Mazie, ultimately forging a future of hard-won happiness and redemption alongside Craig.
Synopsis
Norma Harvey, a newspaperwoman who devotes much of her time to relieving the sufferings of slum children, still loves her childhood sweetheart, Craig Dunlap, a lawyer who tries to cover up his wife's kleptomania by bribing a witness at her trial. Dunlap, however, is exposed and disbarred. While working in the slums, Norma encounters him in a disreputable dive and takes him to her home along with little Mazie, a blind orphan. Two gossipy neighbors declare her morally unfit, and the child is removed from her custody. On Norma's advice, Dunlap decides to give his wife another chance, but he demands a divorce when he finds her rough-housing with friends. She refuses, but when he threatens to allow her to be arrested for the theft of a fur, she consents. After proving her worthiness, Norma regains the child and finds happiness with Craig.
