Richard Clarke is a principled lawyer running his own practice in Pottsville, New York. He treats his work with a quiet generosity, rarely pressing clients for payment and turning away cases where he suspects guilt, which earns him the loyalty of his black paralegal assistant and the affection of the people he helps. Yet his heart is captured by Janie Brown, a bright and hopeful woman whose wealthy father envisions a different future for her, one tied to a richer suitor, Bill Potts. Clarke remains blissfully unaware of the looming parental matchmaking that threatens their engagement.
Everything changes the day Janie, accompanied by her father, visits Clarke’s office. In an effort to impress Mr. Brown, Clarke launches a lawsuit against a poor farmer, claiming substantial damages from a car accident involving Janie’s party. But when he discovers the farmer lacks funds, Clarke stops pursuing the case. Mr. Brown isn’t convinced by Clarke’s idealistic gesture, yet he sees potential in the lawyer’s talent and urges him to seek bigger opportunities in New York City.
Taking this advice to heart, Clarke, his loyal paralegal, and a friend named Shufro relocate to New York to chase bigger, better-paid clients. For several harrowing months, not a single client comes knocking, and Clarke’s confidence and finances waver. When news reaches him that Janie and her father plan to visit, he scrambles to present an image of success. In a moment of impulsive hustle, he and Shufro overhear a couple arguing and seize an opportunity: Clarke secretly occupies the couple’s empty apartment, staging a life he hopes will impress his prospective in-laws. He entertains Janie and Mr. Brown there, and then whisks them to a nightclub to celebrate.
Janie is impressed by Clarke’s supposed new status and promises, and she urges that they marry soon. Clarke, determined to secure the chance to be with her, convinces her to wait a month so he can get his act together. But the city’s temptations and Clarke’s quick transformation into a so‑called “mean” man begin spiraling in a way he hadn’t anticipated. In a bid to pump life into his practice, Clarke briefly tests a harsher persona on the street, even going so far as to steal a lollipop from a little boy. A passing photographer captures the moment, and the next day a sensational newspaper headline proclaims, “Meanest Man In The World Takes Candy From Baby,” turning Clarke into a sensation.
That notoriety unexpectedly attracts a stream of wealthy clients, including the billionaire Frederick P. Leggitt, who visits Clarke’s office to contest an eviction involving his old sister-in-law, Frances Leggitt. Clarke privately helps Frances and even lets her stay in his apartment, a gesture that further complicates the perception of his moral standing. Janie, shocked and disheartened by what she sees, starts to doubt Clarke’s character. When she discovers Clarke may be living with a woman in his apartment, she confronts him with a sharp slap in the street, and another photographer captures the moment. The next day’s headlines spread the rumor that Janie is the woman living with Clarke, and Mr. Brown reacts with anger and resolve.
The situation escalates until Mr. Brown intervenes, taking Clarke and Janie to his daughter’s apartment in New York and insisting they marry immediately, with the help of a judge Judge. Before the ceremony, Shufro reveals the truth about Frances to Janie, dispelling the misunderstanding about the apartment arrangement. The judge’s intervention formalizes a rushed marriage, but Mr. Brown’s ultimatum—to stay in Pottsville and reform, becoming a better husband—casts a long shadow over the newlyweds. In the end, Janie explains the whole cascade of errors to her father, and the pair begin to mend their relationship with a clearer sense of each other’s hearts.
The story weaves the themes of ambition, reputation, and repentance through Clarke’s contradictory arc—from a kind defender of the vulnerable to a public figure shaped by sensational publicity—and back toward a renewed commitment to honesty and partnership with Janie.
