Only Yesterday

On October 29, 1929, New York society gathers at James Stanton Emerson's home as the stock market crash unsettles everyone. Emerson arrives late, ruined financially, and retreats to his office to consider ending his life. He begins a suicide attempt but is interrupted by a letter from Mary Lane.

Mary Lane is introduced to James during the last year of World War I at a formal party. She has arranged an introduction and reveals she has fancied him for years. They spend the night together, and it is implied they have been intimate.

Months later, James and his division sail to France, and Mary discovers she is pregnant. Her family sends her to New York to stay with Aunt Julia so she can give birth away from society. She has the baby while James is away, and the Armistice is declared soon after, with his return not remembering her.

Armistice is declared, ending the fighting, and James returns home. He does not remember Mary, and his social circle pulls him back into their life. Mary decides to raise their son, Jimmy Jr., in New York with Aunt Julia while staying aware of James's movements.

A decade passes: Mary becomes a successful shop owner, emulating her aunt. Jimmy Jr. is now ten and enrolled in military school. Mary remains quietly connected to James's life, though he remains largely absent.

During a Christmas visit, Jimmy notices Mary's suitor, Dave Reynolds, who is eager to marry her. Dave has proposed multiple times, but Mary has turned him down. The household drama sets the stage for choices that neither fully reveal.

The adults go to a club for the New Year's Eve ball drop, and Mary plans to call her son after midnight about Dave's proposal. In the city, she encounters James alone and they share a charged night, the past left unsaid. Throughout the years, she has sent him anonymous telegrams wishing him well.

Returning home, Jimmy lies awake and Mary confesses she is not pursuing marriage with Dave. Jimmy reveals he wanted her to have a mate rather than a father figure, and Mary is relieved that she will not need Dave's role.

On October 28, 1929, Mary lies on her deathbed due to heart trouble. She writes a long letter to James detailing the life she has led and asks him to be a parent to her son. Jimmy is summoned from his school, and Aunt Julia delivers the letter to James's home.

James finishes reading the letter, puts away his gun, and discards his suicide note. His wife confronts him about leaving the party, and he admits he has found something to live for and blesses Mary’s choice to move on. He resolves to pursue a different path.

James goes to Aunt Julia's apartment and finds Jimmy in tears. He embraces him and asks about his life at school and the medals he has earned. The moment signals a turning point as their bond begins to heal.

James reveals to Jimmy that he is his father, completing the intimate history. The revelation shifts their relationship from anonymity to a new family bond.