Working Girls

Mae and June Thorpe move into the Rolfe charity apartment for homeless girls in New York City, marking the beginning of their life in the big city. They face the city’s social expectations and potential opportunities as they settle in.

June applies for a stenographer job with scientist Joseph von Schrader and reveals she never finished high school. Mae is fetched into the interview, and von Schrader questions Mae's educational claims; he ends up hiring Mae on the spot, impressed by their potential.

Mae starts working as von Schrader's stenographer, despite lacking formal training. Von Schrader overlooks her rough background and sees a capable, practical worker who can handle dictation.

June fails to land a job at a fashion house, learning that style is not the same as fashion sense. After a makeover, she secures a job as a telegraph operator and begins dating Pat Kelly, a saxophonist who works the radio circuit.

June lets her guard down with Pat Kelly, a popular saxophonist who showers her with gifts and attention. Their romance helps elevate her social circle as she navigates city life.

Mae spots Boyd Wheeler, a successful lawyer, in the shoe department and agrees to a dinner with him. The chance meeting foreshadows Mae's potential future and the complexities of the sisters' romantic entanglements.

Both Mae and June barely make the Rolfe House midnight curfew, underscoring the tension between their ambitions and the rules of the charity home. The late night escapades show how far they’re willing to push boundaries to pursue opportunities.

Mae declines a marriage proposal from von Schrader, signaling a commitment to her new life with other prospects. He fires her with a kind, protective intent, explaining that he would be hurt by her staying.

Mae tells June that Boyd has arranged a double date at a ritzy friend's apartment. Meanwhile, June signs out for an overnight, effectively going on a date herself, as Mae tries to manage expectations about love.

Boyd goes out of town for a month and sends a telegram advising Mae not to meet the train. Mae spends money on new clothes in anticipation of his return, only to learn that he has become engaged to a beautiful socialite.

June unburdens to von Schrader, who offers to rehire Mae. After Mae's first week back at work, she reveals that she is pregnant, and von Schrader graciously agrees to marry her.

Boyd's fiancée dumps him, and he returns to Mae while her girlfriends toast her engagement. The social circle moves toward Mae's impending marriage as a stabilizing choice in their tangled relationships.

Mae, with Kelly and June, goes to the ritzy apartment where Boyd has been claiming his love for Mae. Boyd, swallowing his pride, eagerly agrees to marry Mae, sealing their arrangement.

June and Kelly run into von Schrader at a Chinese restaurant. After sending Kelly away, June learns that von Schrader is in love with her, and she reciprocates, adding a final twist to the love triangle.