Plot summary

In the small town of Corinth, New Hampshire, adult siblings Hester, Harry and Lettie are the elder generation of the Quincey family, they still living together in the family home. While their family was among the town founders, they, like many, lost most of their wealth during the depression, they only being able to keep the house. Harry, the household breadwinner in being a designer at the town's textile mill, is caught in the middle between the continuing squabbles of the three women of the household: widowed Hester still wants to feel useful around the house; Nona, their longtime housekeeper, will not tolerate any interference, especially by Hester, in what she sees as her responsibilities, including overseeing Harry's diet; and frail Lettie largely tends to her garden and reads poetry in the green room when not doting on Harry. In reality, Lettie, strong and strong-minded, is the manipulative one, mostly doing what it takes so that Harry will never leave her. Her manipulation has largely led to Harry being a milquetoast, unable or unwilling to think for himself. Things change when Deborah Brown arrives in town, she also working for the textile company in the New York City head office. Harry is immediately attracted to her, and while she attracts the attention of a few men in town, it isn't until Harry seems like he could lose her that he confesses his love and asks her to marry him, the proposal which she accepts. This move does not sit well with Lettie, who will not let another woman take Harry away from her without a fight. Harry's response, the measure which he takes when he learns of something Lettie did unilaterally affecting their household, does not turn out quite as expected, leading to all the players turning to their proverbial Plan B to get to their desired end goal.—Huggo