Two Lancashire mill-girls, Mary Hollins and Jenny Hawthorn, escape the factory routine during Hindle’s wakes week and head to Blackpool for a little holiday. They cross paths with Alan Jeffcote, the son of the mill’s owner, who is traveling with friends while his fiancée stays in London on business. Jenny, who has long admired Alan from the factory floor, finds an instant connection, and he quickly sparks a plan to spend more time together. To keep things quiet, Jenny follows Mary’s practical advice and writes a postcard for Mary to mail later in the week, hoping to cover her tracks as the pair drift away from their friends.
The two youngsters slip away for a week in the seaside town of Llandudno, where Alan books them into a hotel at the front and presents them as Mr and Mrs Jeffcote. Not long after, tragedy strikes: Mary Hollins is involved in a serious boating accident and loses her life. Her belongings are returned to Hindle, and the unsent postcard is found among Mary’s belongings. Jenny’s parents grow anxious; they wonder why their daughter did not return as expected and why a postcard to her parents still sits unread. The discovery of the postcard deepens their suspicions, and when Jenny reappears, they press for the truth behind her vague accounts of the holiday.
As the week closes, Jenny’s parents compel her to confront the situation. They allow her to reveal a more plausible, albeit incomplete, account, revealing that she did not spend the entire week in Blackpool. When the truth comes to light, Jenny is distraught over Mary’s death and the consequences of her actions, but she resists feeling guilty or immoral about what happened.
The Hawthornes, who are connected to the Jeffcotes through business and friendship, decide to address the matter directly with Alan’s family. Mrs Hawthorn’s stance is tempered by the sense that the confrontation might be used to their financial advantage, while Mr Hawthorn remains wary due to the long-standing friendship between their families. In a surprising development, Mr Nat Jeffcote agrees that the respectable course would be for Alan to marry Jenny, a solution that could otherwise smooth over the scandal. This plan, however, unsettles Mrs Martha Jeffcote, who fears the loss of her own social ambitions tied to a different marriage prospect for Alan (the daughter of another local factory owner).
A formal meeting brings the families together, and Jenny and Alan stay largely silent as their parents debate the details. The tension spills over into a clash of expectations, with Mrs Hawthorn and Mrs Jeffcote trading sharp words. Ultimately, Jenny speaks up and reveals that she has no interest in marrying Alan, insisting that their liaison was nothing more than a “little fling.” The revelation shocks the room; Mrs Hawthorn weeps, and Alan’s mother appears relieved, while Alan himself is surprised but quick to call off the looming arranged marriage with his fiancée. He makes amends with his former betrothed, and Jenny returns to her life at the factory, resuming her relationship with the admirer who remains there.
> "little fling"
