Other Men’s Women

Bill White, a steam locomotive fireman and habitual drinker, is evicted from his boarding house for excessive drinking and late rent payments. Seeking a place to stay, he accepts his friend Jack Kulper's invitation to move into Jack and Lily's home, where he begins living with Lily. The situation sets the stage for jealousy and tension.

Over the following months, Bill and Lily's relationship deepens from playful companionship into a passionate romance. They try to keep their feelings secret, at least for a while, to spare Jack's feelings. The quiet changes in Lily cause tension within the household.

Jack notices unusual changes in Lily's demeanor and becomes suspicious of her closeness to Bill. He watches their interactions with growing unease while continuing to work alongside them. The bond between Lily and Bill threatens the unity of the trio.

Despite the suspicion, Bill and Lily attempt to hide their love for the moment, continuing to share a home and work together. They navigate the difficulty of concealment while their feelings intensify. The secrecy heightens the risk of a painful rupture.

Bill suddenly moves out of the house, shocking Jack and Lily. Jack's suspicions deepen as he interprets the departure as a sign of a quarrel between Bill and Lily. The living arrangement collapses, setting up a dramatic confrontation.

Jack confronts Bill inside the locomotive's cab, forcing a painful confession. Bill admits that Lily and he have fallen in love, confirming Jack's worst fears. The confession shatters any pretense of normalcy and triggers a violent struggle.

A fistfight erupts, and Jack falls, strikes his head, and is permanently blinded by the injury. Bill is knocked aside as the fight escalates, and Jack's pride and rage drive his actions.

During Jack's convalescence at home, Lily tries to rededicate herself to their marriage. Jack resents his dependency on Lily and demands emotional space. The couple's strained relationship continues to deteriorate as the injury reshapes their dynamics.

Jack insists that Lily leave town for a few weeks to visit her parents, hoping for emotional distance and safety from the dangers of impending floods. Lily agrees, seeking to support Bill while also preserving some sense of family. The separation sets up the climactic plan.

While Lily is away, Bill plans a desperate scheme to save the town: drive a train of flatcars loaded with cement onto a vital river bridge to bolster it against rising floodwaters. The plan is dangerous and born of a need to avert disaster. It also intensifies the personal stakes for Bill and Lily.

That night, the sightless Jack locates Bill in the rain and knocks him unconscious, seizing control of the locomotive. He pushes Bill off the engine to safety and steers the train toward the wavering bridge, determined to prevent a tragedy. The desperate action culminates in a fatal decision.

As the train crosses the bridge, the trestle collapses and plunges into the river. Jack drowns in the raging water, leaving Bill and Lily to confront the consequences of the night's events. The tragedy seals the couple's separation and the town's sorrow.

Months later, Bill stops by the depot's diner for a quick bite before returning to his train. Lily arrives on another train with luggage, and the two have awkward small talk before she reveals her intention to stay in the community, fix up her house, and keep in touch. The unresolved attraction lingers beneath the surface.

Bill races to re-board his moving train, while Lily watches from the diner's doorway. He climbs along the roofs of freight cars and leaps to the next, raising his arms toward the sky in a final, emblematic gesture of longing and endurance. The scene ends on an unresolved, hopeful note.