In Richmond, Virginia, Asa Timberlake and Lavinia Timberlake raise two daughters with male names: Roy Timberlake and Stanley Timberlake. Roy, a skilled interior decorator, is married to Dr. Peter Kingsmill. Stanley is engaged to progressive attorney Craig Fleming. One evening, just days before her wedding, Stanley runs off with her sister’s husband, Peter. The shock leaves Craig depressed, while Roy resolves to stay hopeful, though hardened by what she’s seen. Roy and Peter divorce; Peter marries Stanley, and they move to Baltimore.
Some time later, Roy encounters Craig sitting dejectedly on a park bench; she encourages him to embrace life, and they begin dating. Roy refers a young black man named Parry Clay to Craig, who hires him to work in his law office while attending law school. Parry is the son of Minerva Clay, the Timberlakes’ longtime housekeeper. Roy and Stanley’s uncle, William Fitzroy, had doted on his niece Stanley and gave her expensive presents and money. Fitzroy is upset that she has run off with Peter. He says that he will send Craig some of his legal business if he agrees to stop representing poor clients. When Craig refuses, Roy is impressed and agrees to marry him.
In Baltimore, Stanley and Peter’s marriage suffers from his heavy drinking and her excessive spending. Deeply depressed, Peter commits suicide. Shaken, Stanley returns to her hometown with Roy. After she recovers, Stanley decides to win back Craig. While discussing her late husband’s life insurance with Craig at his office, Stanley invites him to join her later for dinner. He does not go to the restaurant, and she gets drunk. While driving home, she hits a mother and her young daughter, severely injuring the woman and killing the child. In a panic, Stanley drives away.
The police find Stanley’s abandoned car with blood on the front end and question her. She lies, telling them that she loaned her car to Parry on the night of the fatal accident. On the strength of the accusation, Parry is jailed. Roy suspects that Stanley is hiding the truth, and Parry’s mother said he was home with her all evening, studying. Stanley refuses to admit her responsibility, even when Roy arranges for her to see Parry at the jail. Stanley tries to convince Parry to confirm her story. Later, her ex-husband Craig confronts her once more after questioning the bartender at the restaurant, who remembered seeing Stanley. Craig knows that Stanley left the restaurant, drunk, just before the time of the fatal accident. Craig plans to take Stanley to the district attorney, but she flees to Fitzroy’s house and pleads for his help. However, having just learned that he has only six months to live, Fitzroy is too distraught to do anything for Stanley. Stanley is chased by the police; she crashes her car and dies.
Craig is attempting to comfort Roy as she frets about how to help her sister, when the authorities call to inform them that Stanley died.
