Mildred Pierce

Mildred Pierce is a housewife in Glendale, California, during the early 1930s. With Bert unemployed, she bakes and sells goods to neighbors to help the family make ends meet while keeping a brave face for her two daughters.

Bert is revealed to have been unfaithful, and the couple separates. Mildred hides the details from the children, trying to shield them from the harsh realities of the Great Depression era.

Mildred searches for work but finds that her homemaker skills are not easily transferable in a male-dominated job market. A referral leads to a wealthy woman, but Mildred declines the job. A cafe encounter after a scuffle results in Mildred being hired as a waitress.

An experienced waitress, Ida, teaches Mildred the tricks of the trade. Mildred quickly becomes an asset to the restaurant and contributes her pies, which generate praise and extra income. She begins to feel relief at having a paycheck.

Mildred worries that her daughters will be ashamed of her work and tries to keep her occupation hidden from them. The secret creates tension at home, especially with Veda, who judges everything with a critical, middle-class gaze.

Mildred begins a brief affair with Bert's friend Wally Bergan and shares a tentative idea of starting a chicken restaurant. Wally encourages her to pursue the venture if she can prove its profitability.

Veda snoops and finds the waitress uniform, indirectly confronting Mildred. Mildred confesses her secret occupation, and Veda snarls with insults that reveal their fractured relationship. The mother daughter bond becomes tense and fraught from then on.

Mildred lands a deal on a real estate property and pushes toward opening her own restaurant. The dream of independence increasingly dominates her life, and she begins to assemble support from Ida, Lucy and Wally.

On opening night, Mildred meets Monty Beragon, a wealthy polo player. He is charmed by her and soon invites her to the beach for a day out, beginning a complex affair that will test her resolve.

While Mildred is on the beach with Monty, her younger daughter Ray becomes seriously ill and is hospitalized. The doctors stabilize her briefly, but Ray's condition worsens and she dies, devastating the family.

Mildred returns to the restaurant for its opening night, and the event draws a large crowd including Bert, Veda, and Ida. Monty bonds with Veda and later seduces Mildred at her home, complicating the family dynamics further.

Following the advice of Wally, Mildred divorces Bert to improve her financial standing for the expanding business. Monty becomes increasingly dependent on Mildred's income, while she continues to push for growth despite mounting personal costs.

Veda trains as a professional singer and grows into a celebrated talent, while Mildred struggles to fund her lavish lifestyle for her daughter. The relationship between mother and daughter becomes more volatile as Veda gains fame.

Veda hints at pregnancy to claim money, then reveals that she lied to secure better terms from her attorneys. She finally leaves with Monty for New York City after a staged reconciliation, severing the last major bond with Mildred.