Casanova Brown

College professor Casanova Brown arrives by train in the small town of Rossmore, Illinois. He is greeted by his socialite girlfriend Madge Ferris and immediately tells her not to bring up his trip to New York. He reveals that he has been trying to publish a book about the notorious Casanova.

Cas asks Madge to marry him, aiming to seal the relationship before problems arise. Madge’s father J.J. warns him against marrying her, suggesting she is trouble. The tension sets up the looming wedding that may be interrupted.

Just before the wedding, Cas receives a letter from Dr. Martha Zernecke summoning him to a Chicago maternity hospital. He leaves town to answer the summons, promising to return in time for the ceremony. The departure foreshadows a disruption to the engagement.

In conversation with J.J., Cas recounts his New York romance with Isabel Drury, detailing how they fell in love and planned to wed. He admits his missteps, including insulting Isabel’s mother and inadvertently burning down the Drurys’ house with a smoldering cigarette. The pair’s marriage was later annulled, and Cas frowns at the possibility that Isabel may have his child.

Cas goes through a battery of tests at a Chicago maternity hospital, unaware of their exact purpose. A nurse informs him that the tests confirm he is in good health. Dr. Zernecke then reveals that Isabel had a baby girl and the tests were for records related to adoption.

Cas is reunited with Isabel at the hospital. She confirms that the baby is biologically his and that she intends to put the child up for adoption, reopening the possibility of a future together. The revelation heightens the emotional stakes for both of them.

Cas disguises himself as a doctor and secretly abducts the baby to prevent Isabel from giving the child away. He escapes to a local hotel with the infant and begins planning his next moves. The act upends the plans everyone else has for the child.

With the baby in tow, Cas hires Monica Case, a chambermaid, and Frank, the bell captain, to help look after the infant. The trio treats the baby with exceptional care as they cope with the new situation. Cas then proposes to Monica, hoping a marriage could solidify his claim to keep the child.

Believing marriage might allow him to keep the baby, Cas and Monica proceed to City Hall with the baby in tow. The improvised family discusses legal steps and the social norms that govern adoption in Chicago. The plan drives them toward a formal union to stabilize their situation.

Isabel confesses to Dr. Zernecke that the adoption was a ploy to bring Cas to the hospital and learn how he truly feels about her and the baby. The revelation reframes the entire sequence of events, with Isabel seeking a second chance.

Dr. Zernecke and Isabel have been aware of Cas’s location all along and know the baby is safe. They maintain a coordinated effort to see how Cas will respond to the situation. This underscores the level of planning behind the reunion.

Isabel, Mr. Drury, J.J., and Madge descend upon the hotel where Cas is hiding with the baby. The simultaneous arrival of family members adds pressure and urgency to the looming confrontation. Tension builds as intent and affection collide.

Cas, Isabel, and the baby are finally alone, and the fact they are not officially married because of the Chicago three-day waiting period becomes a turning point. They reconcile and form a family at last, embracing the chance for a future together.