Adventure in Baltimore

In 1905, Dinah Sheldon is expelled from Miss Ingram's Seminary for wearing two petticoats and for attending political rallies and insisting on studying nudes. The decision underscores her rebellious, art-driven nature and shakes the school's order. Her father, Dr. Andrew Sheldon, an Episcopalian pastor, forgives her, but her mother Lily urges her to become more conventionally feminine.

Dinah is sent home to Baltimore, where her father forgives the latest calamity but the family atmosphere grows tense. Lily pushes Dinah toward conventional femininity while Andrew remains protective and tolerant of her ambitions. The household becomes a battleground of expectations between art, faith, and social propriety.

Dinah feigns indifference to Bernice, telling Tom that her only ambition is to study art in Paris, and he agrees to help her fulfill her dream. Tom's feelings and commitments begin to strain as Bernice becomes a rival. Dinah's resolve to follow her art contrasts with Tom's more conventional desires.

Dinah is arrested during a brawl in a public park that erupts after four loafers argue over one of her paintings. The overworked Tom Wade is asked to post bail for all five people involved. The arrest links Dinah's art and stubborn independence to escalating public trouble and risk to her family's reputation.

Dinah offers to write a speech for Tom on equality, hoping to boost his standing with the Forum Society. While preparing it, she learns that two women who witnessed her exit from jail have told Dan Fletcher, Andrew's vestryman. Dan's knowledge deepens the scandal just as Andrew's bishop candidacy grows more precarious.

That night, at the Forum Society's Spring Dance, Tom is compelled to deliver Dinah's speech, which centers on female emancipation. The speech falls flat, as Dinah arrives late and Tom reads it cold, and the crowd laughs at the idea of equality. The humiliation complicates Tom's feelings and Dinah's resolve.

Humiliated, Tom begins pulling away from Dinah, while Andrew unexpectedly offers to partner with Dinah in a waltz contest. Dinah and Andrew's teamwork defeats Tom and Bernice, showcasing a reconciliation between father and daughter. The victory cements Dinah's stubborn independence within the family dynamic.

Dinah visits Tom at the family automobile garage and asks him to pose for a portrait she plans to enter in the Spirit of Labor contest. Tom initially resists but agrees to disguise his face in the finished painting. He poses in the greenhouse, capturing Dinah's interpretation of labor and identity.

The painting is entered anonymously, but Tom's clearly identifiable face threatens Dinah's reputation and Andrew's rising bishop prospects. Dinah's portrait draws scandal to the Sheldon family and forces Andrew to confront the costs of public life. The event drags the family deeper into social controversy.

Tom is fired from his job and Bernice dumps him in the wake of the painting scandal. Dinah's artistic rebellion has tangible consequences for Tom's livelihood and for her place in society. The family endures renewed scrutiny as Dinah's dream collides with communal expectations.

Pressured by Lily and Dan, Andrew considers his bishop prospects and sends Dinah to live with her aunt in Pittsburgh until promotion is secured. The separation creates physical distance but also space for Dinah's growth and continued artistic pursuit. Pittsburgh becomes a backdrop for the next chapter in the family story.

On the way to the train station for Dinah's departure, a suffrage parade is harassed by jeering men. Dinah and Lily intervene to defend the marchers, sparking a minor riot. Andrew bails the family and Tom out of jail, cementing his stance.

The next day in church, Andrew delivers an impromptu sermon on tolerance that moves the congregation to tears. The sermon marks a turning point in how his family views Dinah's activism and his own public role. It helps clear a path toward the bishop appointment.

Tom finally confesses his love to Dinah as the family absorbs the changes underway. Around the same time, Andrew learns that he has been appointed bishop, a vindication of his tolerant stance. The sequence of personal and professional breakthroughs signals a new chapter for the Sheldons.