- Alice (Florence Vidor) is not satisfied with her family's financial situation and tries to convince others that she comes from a wealthy family. In the end she discovers that she is only fooling herself and decides to go to work to help her father's failing business.—Dana Cocke'
- As a teenager, Alice Adams is one of the most popular girls in town. When her friends go off to school, they all have coming out parties, but Alice, now 22, has none. She feels out of step in society. Her father, a clerk in a glue factory, is sick most of the time, and her mother constantly argues with him because he doesn't make enough money. Alice gets invited to a dance, and after much persuasion, Alice's brother Walter agrees to escort her. Nearly everyone at the party snubs her, including her own brother. But Alice meets Arthur Russell, a stranger, who is kind to her. Alice asks Arthur to find her brother. Walter is discovered smoking and gambling with the servants. Arthur calls on Alice on several occasions. Embarrassed by her surroundings, Alice pretends her family is well-to-do, and that her father prefers to live in that house because he is old-fashioned. Alice's mother invites Arthur to dinner, and Alice helps her father put on a good appearance. But the evening goes poorly, due to the hot weather and the poor choice of food. Arthur learns that Alice's family is not well-off as she had claimed. Alice discovers Walter is leaving town, and she runs across him dancing on the sidewalk with a woman. An old friend of Mr. Adams arrives and tells him of Walter's misappropriation of money from J. A. Lamb. For years, Mr. Adams had worked for Lamb, and only recently had given up his job to start a small factory of his own. Mr. Adams tries to secure a financial statement for a loan to cover up his son's misdeed. He discovers that Lamb is preparing to open a rival factory. The two get into an argument, and Mr. Adams collapses. Back at the Adams home, Alice and Arthur are sitting on the front steps when Lamb's car appears, carrying the unconscious Mr. Adams. Mr. Adams is carried upstairs, and Arthur leaves, dismayed at the odd goings-on in the house. Days later, Mr. Adams has recovered, and Lamb calls on him. "I'll be glad to take your little factory off your hands," says Lamb, "and I won't prosecute your boy. And, Virgil, your old job's waiting for you." Alice passes a sign reading "Frincke's Business College" and makes a decision to enroll. Arthur runs into her and says "I've been hoping for a glimpse of you for days. May I come to see you again soon?" "Yes, Arthur," Alice replies, "but it will have to be in the evenings - no more afternoon walks. I'm going to learn how to work."
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content