The Easiest Way

Laura grows up in a poor working-class family and works hard to support them. Her father, Ben, pushes his other daughter Peg toward marriage with Nick, hoping for security. Laura watches these pressures shape her decisions as she grows.

A modeling job brings Laura into contact with the wealthy William Brockton, and she moves into his luxury apartment. The wealth buys social status but also creates distance from her family. She savors the glamorous life even as the consequences begin to surface.

Laura's mother Agnes immediately notices the change: longer nights, expensive clothes, and a chauffeur-driven car. Nick, Peg's husband, resents Laura and wants no part of a kept woman. Laura becomes estranged from her family but keeps living with Brockton.

Laura's climate of wealth isolates her further, deepening the rift with her roots and old friends. The glamour masks the emotional cost of her choices, while Brockton remains central to her life. The couple's separation from ordinary life becomes more pronounced.

During a vacation in Colorado, Laura meets Jack Madison, a young newsman, and falls in love. They begin an affair and pledge fidelity to each other. Jack leaves for Argentina after a brief courtship.

Jack is stationed in Argentina for several months, and Laura promises him she will leave Brockton. She envisions a life with Jack and tries to bridge the two worlds. The distance between her luxury life and her new lover widens.

Laura breaks the news to Brockton, returns all his gifts, and leaves his apartment. She takes a job at Macy's to support herself and begins a working-class life. The departure marks a decisive turn away from the Brockton wealth.

Back at Macy's, Laura struggles to pay rent and seeks help from Elfie St. Clair, but is refused a loan. In desperation she considers taking 'The Easiest Way' and asks Brockton for a loan to survive. Brockton refuses unless she returns to him and tells Jack the truth, a demand she promises to fulfill but does not.

Elfie visits Laura to offer money and advice. Elfie urges Laura to leave Brockton and marry Jack, but warns that she must not tell Jack the truth about her current situation. Laura weighs the plan as her life becomes more tangled.

Jack returns to New York, and Laura invites him to her swank apartment. Their reunion is tense, shadowed by the secret she keeps from Jack. The fidelity between them teeters as old loyalties collide with new temptations.

Brockton unexpectedly shows up and confronts Laura in front of Jack, exposing her entanglement. Laura tries to explain, but Jack, furious about her broken promise of fidelity, leaves in anger. The relationship fractures as Laura faces the consequences of her choices.

Laura travels to her sister Peg's home for refuge. Nick, Peg's husband, arrives and offers quiet support, suggesting that Madison will return once he calms down. The family ties, though frayed, provide a glimmer of stability amid the chaos.

Nick comforts Laura and hints that Jack Madison will return once he regains his composure. The promise offers a small, fragile thread of hope as Laura contends with the consequences of her choices. The ending leaves her at a crossroads between wealth, love, and family ties.