Due to a clerical error, successful attorney Charles Gordon Curtiss arrives a day late to give a lecture in a nearby town. But the literary society's loss is Curtiss' gain; he meets the charming Constance Stuart and falls in love. A year later, they marry. The very next day, however, before Curtiss can bring Constance to her new home, Constance meets a young woman named Pauline. What Pauline tells her alters the lives of all of them for years to come. - Summary by TriciaG