Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases
The Missing Groom
Sheila arrives at her wedding expecting Eric, but he fails to appear. She turns to her lawyer Henry and asks him to stand in for the absent groom.
Key Events
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Wedding Day Begins — Sheila expects to marry Eric, but the wedding proceeds without his arrival. Characters: Sheila Curtis, Eric Reynolds
Location: Wedding setting
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Eric Fails to Appear — Eric does not appear for the wedding, leaving Sheila without her intended groom. Characters: Sheila Curtis, Eric Reynolds
Location: Wedding setting
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Sheila Seeks Henry — Sheila turns to her lawyer Henry for an immediate solution. Characters: Sheila Curtis, Henry Tuttle
Location: Unspecified setting
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The Substitute Groom — Sheila drafts Henry to stand in for the missing Eric at the wedding. Characters: Sheila Curtis, Henry Tuttle
Location: Wedding setting
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Henry Accepts the Role — Henry participates in the unusual wedding arrangement requested by Sheila. Characters: Sheila Curtis, Henry Tuttle
Location: Wedding setting
A Marriage Entangled
Henry's substitution creates a complicated romantic and marital situation. Eric finally returns, and Sheila begins planning a quick divorce so she can marry him later.
Key Events
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Henry Accepts the Role — Henry participates in the unusual wedding arrangement requested by Sheila. Characters: Sheila Curtis, Henry Tuttle
Location: Wedding setting
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The Wedding Complication — Henry's substitution creates a complicated marital situation for Sheila. Characters: Sheila Curtis, Henry Tuttle
Location: Wedding setting
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Eric Finally Arrives — Eric finally appears after sleeping off the bachelor party. Characters: Sheila Curtis, Eric Reynolds, Henry Tuttle
Location: Unspecified setting
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Sheila Plans Divorce — Sheila plans a quick divorce before marrying Eric after public attention fades. Characters: Sheila Curtis, Eric Reynolds, Henry Tuttle
Location: Unspecified setting
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Henry's Longstanding Love — Henry's years of love for Sheila sharpen the personal cost of the arrangement. Characters: Henry Tuttle, Sheila Curtis
Location: Unspecified setting
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Honeymoon Begins — The complicated couple spends time together during the honeymoon period. Characters: Sheila Curtis, Henry Tuttle
Location: Honeymoon setting
Henry Turns Away
Henry becomes fed up with the situation during the honeymoon. He spends his time with Helen, his old girlfriend, and other women.
Key Events
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Honeymoon Begins — The complicated couple spends time together during the honeymoon period. Characters: Sheila Curtis, Henry Tuttle
Location: Honeymoon setting
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Henry Becomes Fed Up — Henry grows fed up with the emotional situation surrounding Sheila and Eric. Characters: Henry Tuttle, Sheila Curtis
Location: Honeymoon setting
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Helen Reenters Henry's Life — Henry spends time with his old girlfriend Helen Van Orden. Characters: Henry Tuttle, Helen Van Orden
Location: Honeymoon setting
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Henry Courts Other Women — Henry spends his honeymoon time with Helen and other women. Characters: Henry Tuttle, Helen Van Orden
Location: Honeymoon setting
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Sheila Becomes Jealous — Sheila reacts with jealousy to Henry's attention toward Helen and other women. Characters: Sheila Curtis, Henry Tuttle, Helen Van Orden
Location: Honeymoon setting
Love Recognized Too Late
Sheila's jealousy forces her to reassess Eric and Henry. She realizes Eric is unreliable and that Henry is the dependable man she has always loved.
Key Events
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Sheila Becomes Jealous — Sheila reacts with jealousy to Henry's attention toward Helen and other women. Characters: Sheila Curtis, Henry Tuttle, Helen Van Orden
Location: Honeymoon setting
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Eric's Unreliability Clarifies — Sheila recognizes that Eric will continue to be unreliable. Characters: Sheila Curtis, Eric Reynolds
Location: Unspecified setting
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Henry's Dependability Emerges — Sheila recognizes Henry as the person she has always been able to count on. Characters: Sheila Curtis, Henry Tuttle
Location: Unspecified setting
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Sheila Recognizes Love — Sheila realizes that she has always loved Henry. Characters: Sheila Curtis, Henry Tuttle
Location: Unspecified setting
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The Risk of Losing Henry — Sheila fears that her delayed realization may have come too late. Characters: Sheila Curtis, Henry Tuttle
Location: Unspecified setting
The Cost of Taking Him
Sheila confronts the possibility that her realization came too late. She understands that she may have taken Henry's devotion for granted.
Key Events
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The Risk of Losing Henry — Sheila fears that her delayed realization may have come too late. Characters: Sheila Curtis, Henry Tuttle
Location: Unspecified setting
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Sheila Faces Her Mistake — Sheila understands that she may have taken Henry's devotion for granted. Characters: Sheila Curtis, Henry Tuttle
Location: Unspecified setting
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Emotional Resolution — The romantic conflict resolves around Sheila's recognition of Henry's importance. Characters: Sheila Curtis, Henry Tuttle, Eric Reynolds, Helen Van Orden
Location: Unspecified setting
On the day of her wedding a young woman's fiancé doesn't show up, sleeping off the results of the previous night's wild bachelor party. Miffed, the woman decides to go ahead with the wedding anyway to teach her fiancé a lesson, so she calls her lawyer, Henry, and has him stand in for her missing groom. She intends to divorce her new "husband" at the first opportunity, but Henry--who has been in love with her for a long time--is determined to win his "wife's" hand.