A Woman’s Face

Anna Holm leads a criminal gang that runs two parallel blackmail schemes: pressuring Mrs. Wegert for the letters she wrote to a lover, and coercing Torsten Barring to murder Lars-Erik, the Consul’s grandson, to secure the estate. The gang wants a female governess to help carry out the murder plot, but they lament Anna’s disfigurement makes her unsuitable. The opening setup establishes the danger and stakes.

Anna goes to Dr Wegert’s house to threaten Mrs Wegert into paying. Mrs Wegert hands over jewelry, but it’s only half the demanded sum. In the escape attempt, Anna injures her foot by leaping through a window.

Dr Wegert finds the jewelry in Anna’s purse and suspects burglary, not blackmail. He is intrigued by her disfigurement and sees a chance to help; he is a plastic surgeon who restores faces.

Rather than reporting her, Wegert places Anna in his hospital to heal her foot and begins planning for her facial restoration. He treats her with professional care and reveals a grave interest in giving her a new life. The possibility of transformation takes root.

After the operation, the bandages come off to reveal a beautiful face. Anna feels hopeful and morally touched by Wegert’s kindness, foreshadowing a fundamental shift in her life. Her talks with the doctor deepen her resolve to change beyond crime.

Now as Anna Paulsson, she travels to Forsa to become governess to Lars-Erik. She enters a comfortable, loving household that contrasts with her criminal past. Her growing affection for the boy and the family begins to erode her loyalty to the murder plot.

Harald Berg, a trusted employee, falls in love with Anna and she with him. The relationship gives her emotional grounding and strengthens her resolve to resist the gang’s coercion. Meanwhile, Torsten and the gang arrive in town to push the plan again.

The gang gathers at the town hotel to press Anna to proceed with the murder. Torsten intensifies pressure, threatening to force her back into the scheme. The tension between love, loyalty, and crime comes to a head.

On a winter night, Torsten and Lars-Erik stage a fake accident to kill Lars-Erik. Anna, riding with Harald, realizes the plot and drives their own sleigh to catch them. She confesses the murder plan to Harald, and they manage to snatch Lars-Erik from Torsten, but Harald is badly injured in the chase and Torsten escapes, with the gang abandoning the plan.

After the failed murder attempt, Anna remains the governess and Harald begins to recover. The Consul urges Harald to return to Forsa, hoping Anna can persuade him to come back. The delicate balance between duty and affection unsettles everyone.

Anna visits Harald at Wegert’s clinic and shares her life story, explaining how a childhood fire left her face scarred and her choices shaped by fear of ugliness. Despite the confession, Harald loves her and proposes they run away together. She declines, choosing a more practical path for his sake.

Harald decides to return to Forsa to join Lars-Erik and resume his position. He is welcomed back and prepares to move forward, leaving Anna to her new life.

Dr Wegert decides to leave his Swedish practice and join the Red Cross in China. He invites Anna to come with him as governess to his cousin’s child in Beijing, offering a chance to start anew. They sail off together, beginning a new life abroad.