Linda Gault comes from a poverty-stricken background and is determined never to be poor again. She has transformed into a philandering elitist who casually seduces men for their money, a posture that sits uneasily with the marriage she shares with her stockbroker husband, Geoffrey Geoffrey Gault. Geoffrey discovers his wife’s infidelities and, instead of walking away, presses her to gather investment tips from her latest lover, the high-profile financier John Fair. Linda resents what she sees as finances driving a wedge between them, yet she goes along with the plan, only to feel a sting of shame afterward for the deception she carries out.
Geoffrey remains suspicious of Linda’s sudden, almost theatrical reform, and Fair, sensing trouble, refuses to feed her any information. Linda tries to maintain the lie that the market will rise, hoping to appease her husband, but Geoffrey ultimately loses all his money in the Wall Street crash of 1929. If anything, the crash tightens Linda’s grip on material comfort: she convinces Geoffrey to fund a longer, more luxurious stay in Bermuda, drawing on the money he needs to claw his way back. In Bermuda, Linda is swept off her feet by Ronnie Sanderson, an Australian sheep rancher who promises a life far from New York’s city glare. Ronnie envisions a future together, even proposing that Linda come live with him in Australia, though she hesitates, convinced that Australia might not offer her what she wants.
The plot thickens when Linda learns that her husband is now broke, and a renewed opportunity to profit tempts her anew. She uses her charm to lure Ronnie, pressing him to consider marriage only after she returns to New York to divorce Geoffrey. Back in the city, Linda announces the divorce, and Geoffrey greets the news with a mix of laughter and cynicism, telling her she will never marry a sheep rancher. The deceit deepens as Linda’s maid, Celeste, steals Linda’s jewelry to help her boyfriend, Arthur Pringle, avoid jail, revealing how far Linda’s world has spiraled. Linda herself finds herself broke and takes a job as a clerk in a clothing store, a fall from the opulence she once pursued.
A revival of old plans comes with a new urgency when Ronnie arrives, insisting that Linda depart for Australia immediately. Geoffrey warns Ronnie about Linda’s spoiled streak, but Ronnie remains unfazed by the warnings. On the night Linda is set to leave, Geoffrey squares off with Fair again, accusing him of having poisoned their finances with a careless word to Linda. The confrontation ends with Geoffrey receiving a loan that helps him recover some of what he lost, and when Linda returns home to say goodbye, the two of them confront the faults they’ve carried, recognizing the mistakes of their past. In a final act of resolve, Linda tears up Fair’s check, choosing a sharper, more grounded truth over the glittering but hollow promises that once defined their relationship.
