A Feather in Her Hat

In 1925 London, Clarissa Phipps takes in the homeless Captain Randolph Courtney, moved by pity for his predicament. She provides him food, shelter, and a place in her modest world, even before understanding his influence on her family. The arrangement sows the seeds for a transformative tutoring relationship with her son Richard.

Courtney corrects Richard's lower-class accent and grammar, unknowingly shaping his future. Through his pointed mentorship, Richard gains confidence and ambition beyond his upbringing. Clarissa recognizes an opportunity for social mobility born from this unlikely pairing.

As Richard learns, Clarissa contemplates a path that could lift him into upper-class circles. The tutor's methods inspire both Richard and Clarissa to pursue education and performance as routes to acceptance. The atmosphere in London grows charged with possibility.

On Richard's twenty-first birthday, Clarissa delivers a startling revelation: she is not his mother, but was hired to raise him. She presents him with a bank passbook containing £1000, set up with his real mother’s agreement. Richard and Courtney are left stunned by the truth and the change in their lives.

Emily Judson, Richard's childhood companion, is distressed by the idea that she might never marry him. The revelation reshapes the social landscape around Richard, threatening the prospects she had hoped to secure. She watches the unfolding changes with a mix of heartbreak and resignation.

Courtney studies Clarissa's private papers and surmises that Julia Trent Anders, a former star actress, is Richard's real mother. The educated guess hints at a larger family intrigue and future encounters that could complicate Richard's status.

Richard, determined to learn about his origins, becomes a lodger in Julia Trent Anders' mansion. There he meets Julia, her absentminded scientist husband Paul, and her beautiful stepdaughter Pauline. The setting sparks new tensions and alliances as Richard navigates high society.

Richard and Pauline are attracted to each other, which irritates Pauline's rival suitor Leo Cartwright. The attraction thickens the social dynamics in the mansion and tests loyalties among the household.

Pauline learns of Emily's prior claim to Richard and chooses to desist from her own pursuit in deference to Emily's feelings. The love triangle adds emotional complexity to Richard's pursuit of his true identity.

Julia uncovers that Richard has written a play with a potential starring role for her own comeback. She introduces him to producer Sir Elroyd Joyce, who agrees to read it as a favor to Julia. The possibility of staging his work becomes a focal point of the plot.

Joyce reads Richard's script and sees promise, but explains that producing it would be expensive. The hurdle of funding becomes a barrier that demands something more than talent.

To support Richard's play, Clarissa sells her shop and diverts most of the proceeds into financing the project without telling Richard. Her sacrifice underlines her hidden devotion and the costs she bears as she tries to secure his future.

The premiere of Son of Sixpence becomes a public success, validating Richard's talent and the gamble Clarissa made. The triumph on stage contrasts with Clarissa's deteriorating health.

As her health fails, Clarissa attends the premiere with pride but dies shortly after. On her deathbed, she confesses to Richard that she is actually his mother, a revelation that redefines his sense of belonging.

With Clarissa's deathbed confession, Emily concedes that Richard belongs with Pauline, culminating the rearrangement of affections and social ties that the story builds toward.