An ambitious factory girl meets a handsome, wealthy lawyer, but he's interested in her as a mistress, not a wife.
Marion is a factory worker who hopes to trade the assembly line, for a beautiful penthouse apartment. Mark Whitney, a wealthy and influential lawyer can make her dreams come true, but there is only one problem, he will give her everything but a marriage proposal. Will this affair ever lead to marriage?—Kelly
Wealthy New York lawyer Mark Whitney and wealthy divorced socialite Marian Moreland are constant companions in a romantic relationship. The few in the know are aware that Marian is really Marian Martin, a factory girl from Erie PA, who Mark met three years earlier. Marian came to New York on a chance and was up front with Mark that her goal was to marry a rich man to get her out of her poverty. Back at home, Marian had been dating fellow factory worker Al Manning, who wanted to marry her. She turned down his several marriage proposals since she didn't want to get stuck in a life of poverty. Mark was attracted to her beauty and her forthrightness with him. As such, he provided her with all the material wealth she now has as well as opportunity to become well bred on the surface. But stung once by marriage, Mark has no plans ever to marry Marian. The made up back story of she being a divorcée living comfortably on alimony was devised by Mark to give her some respectability. Regardless, they are in love with each other. Their stable life changes when Al, now making his mark in the world, comes to New York for work. Al would still like to marry Marian, he knowing nothing about Marian and Mark's arrangement. She knowing Mark is a benefit for him as Mark is able to provide Al a foot in the door for the work project in question. A further obstacle in Marian and Mark's relationship is that he is asked to run for governor. The truth about Marian being his kept woman would kibosh any chance of an election win.—Huggo
The ambitious box factory worker Marian lives in the countryside and dreams on having a luxury lifestyle, with a comfortable apartment, jewels and money. When her friend and also worker Al Manning proposes to marry her, she goes to the train station and meets the millionaire Wally that invites Marian to go to New York. On the arrival, she meets the prominent lawyer and aspirant to politician Mark Whitney and becomes his mistress. Three years later, Marian has become a refined woman and her dream has come true, but she falls in love with Whitney. When Manning visits her, he has become a self-made man and he believes that Marion has married a wealthy man. Soon Marian realizes that she is only the perfect mistress but not Whitney's wife. When he runs to governor, Marion sacrifices her relationship with Whitney to avoid a scandal that could damage his image in the elections.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Paper box factory worker Marian Martin (Joan Crawford) wants more out of life than marriage to her small-town boyfriend, Al Manning (Wallace Ford). As she looks through the windows of a stopped railroad car carrying wealthy passengers, she meets Wally Stuart (Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher), a New Yorker who gives her champagne and tells her to look him up. After Al angrily accuses her of impropriety, Marian leaves and goes to New York. Wally gives her some advice on meeting and keeping wealthy men, which Marian uses to begin a relationship with his friend Mark Whitney (Clark Gable), a divorced attorney. Three years pass and Marian has acquired sophistication, culture and a lot of money from Mark. Despite her original intentions, though, she loves him. He loves her as well but will not marry her because he is afraid that she will hurt him the way his ex-wife did. To cover their relationship, she has changed her name to Mrs. Moreland and poses as a wealthy divorcee. When Al, now running a prosperous cement business, comes to town hoping to land a big contract, he asks her to marry him, but she refuses. When she overhears Mark talking with some politicians, she realizes that he now plans to marry her, even though their past relationship might cause a scandal that would ruin his proposed gubernatorial campaign. She pretends not to love him and says that she is going to marry Al. He then runs for governor, but when Marian discovers that Al will only forgive her past if she will help him get the contract from Mark, she sends him away and disappears. As the election approaches, the rival candidate tries to interrupt a rally for Mark by having hecklers distribute flyers saying "Who is Mrs. Moreland?" As the crowd rumbles, Marian steps up from the audience and tells them that Mark has always been an honorable man, who once belonged to her, but now belongs to them. The crowd cheers as she leaves, sobbing. Outside, Mark catches up to her and tells her that from now on they will be together no matter what.
Marian Martin (Joan Crawford) is a factory girl living with her mother (Clara Blandick) in the working-class section of Erie, Pennsylvania. Factory boy Al Manning (Wallace Ford) hopes to marry her, but Marian is determined to find a better life. When a train makes a stop in town, Marian looks through the windows and sees the wealthy passengers. She then meets train passenger Wally Stuart (Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher), a New Yorker who gives her champagne and offers his address, inviting her to contact him if she should visit New York. On returning home, an inebriated Marian tells Al and her mother that she had been drinking by the railroad tracks.
Al, who had been waiting for Marian and accuses her of being drunk, spots the piece of paper containing Wally's address in her hand, grabs it and tears it into pieces. He tells Marian that her actions are inappropriate and that she must stay with him. Marian angrily tells Al and her mother that no one owns her and that her life belongs to herself. She collects the torn paper shreds from the floor and pastes them together before leaving for New York City. When she arrives, she visits Wally, who offers her advice on meeting and keeping wealthy men. Marian uses the advice to begin a relationship with Wally's friend Mark Whitney (Clark Gable), a wealthy divorced attorney.
Marian becomes Mark's mistress and he provides her with a complete makeover, educating her in the arts and culture of his social set. Three years pass and the two are happily in love. To cover the fact that Marian is his kept woman, Mark presents Marian as Mrs. Moreland, a wealthy divorcée living comfortably on her alimony.
Some time later, Al, now running a prosperous cement business, comes to the city hoping to land a big contract. He sees Marian and asks her to marry him, but she refuses. When Al learns that Marian is a friend of Mark, unaware of Marian and Mark's true relationship, Al hopes that he can use Mark to secure the contract.
When Mark runs for gubernatorial office, friends caution him that his relationship with Marian is a serious liability. When she overhears Mark talking with some politicians, she learns that he now plans to marry her even though their relationship will cause a scandal. To support his gubernatorial bid, she lies to Mark, telling him that she no longer loves him. She tells him that she intends to marry Al instead. Marian tells Al the truth, but he rebuffs her, saying that he could never marry such a woman. He changes his mind when he realizes that by rejecting Marian, he is also jeopardizing the highway contract.
A political rival learns of Marian's true identity and plans to leak the information at Mark's political rally. At the rally, Mark's political rivals drop shards of paper from the auditorium ceiling reading "Who is Mrs. Moreland?" Mark appears worried and does not know how to respond. As the crowd rumbles, Marian emerges from the audience and informs the crowd that she is Mrs. Moreland and that Mark has always been an honorable man who once belonged to her but now belongs to them. The crowd cheers as she leaves, sobbing. Outside, Mark tells her that they will be together no matter what may occur. Mark legitimizes their relationship by proposing marriage.
