The Goddess

Emily Ann Faulkner is born into poverty in the rural South, with no father and a mother who shows little warmth. Laureen remains emotionally distant, setting a pattern of neglect that shadows Emily’s childhood. Growing up unloved, she learns to cope on her own.

As a teenager, Emily is socially ostracized by the townspeople and left with few allies. She seeks brief relief in sexual encounters with boys and retreats into Hollywood fantasies to drown out her loneliness. The whispers of the town echo the longing for affection she never receives.

During World War II, Emily meets and marries the world-weary G.I. John Tower, forging a fragile partnership born from shared pain. The marriage is strained by unresolved past hurts and the pressures of the era. They welcome a baby daughter, but Emily’s happiness remains elusive.

Unable to cope with a rocky marriage and an unwanted pregnancy, Emily escapes to Hollywood to pursue stardom. In the rush of departure, she leaves her baby daughter in John's care, severing the family tie. The move marks the beginning of a life defined by fame and danger.

Emily arrives in Hollywood and enters a glittering social circle, eventually marrying Dutch Seymour, a former boxing champion turned socialite. The arrangement brings attention and status, but also pressure to maintain a certain image. She resists a plan to move to St. Louis, choosing the excitement of Hollywood over family stability.

To push her career, Emily poses for risque magazine photos and engages in casting couch affairs, which strains and ultimately ends her marriage to Dutch Seymour. The personal cost of fame grows heavier as the public persona overshadows her private life. She begins to be known as Rita Shawn, a new, dazzling stage name.

Emily sheds her old identity and rises as Rita Shawn, a glamorous superstar celebrated for her sex appeal. Fame brings wealth and admiration, yet deepens her insecurity and fear of loneliness. The glossy veneer hides a frightened, unsettled woman underneath.

Rita suffers a nervous breakdown that requires hospitalization, exposing the fragility behind the celebrated image. The crisis shakes her control over life, career, and relationships. Family and friends close ranks, unsure how to help without enabling destructive patterns.

Rita’s mother Laureen visits Hollywood, bringing a stark contrast of religious fervor to her daughter's secular fame. Laureen remains unimpressed by Rita's wealth and fame and tries to convert her, highlighting a clash of values. Rita clings to the memory of family while facing increasing isolation in the limelight.

When Laureen insists on returning home, Rita erupts in anger, screaming that she hates her mother and wishes her dead as Laureen leaves. The outburst crystallizes the emotional distance between them. It also marks a turning point in Rita’s fragile sense of family and security.

Laureen dies, and Rita reacts with a drunken public breakdown at her mother's grave. The scene underscores how unresolved wounds continue to haunt her every milestone. The tragedy intensifies her isolation and sense of abandonment.

John Tower tries to reconcile with Rita for the sake of their young daughter, hoping to break the cycle of dysfunction. He loves their child enough to push past years of resentment and pain. Rita remains too psychologically damaged to accept a stable family life.

With the support of a stern secretary-nurse named Harding, Rita’s life is kept under tight supervision to prevent further self-destruction. The nurse acts as a mother figure, maintaining routines and monitoring choices. Despite the care, the underlying wounds of her childhood persist.