Character Relationship Map: Handle with Care

Characters

• Jeanne Lee (played by Grace Darmond) — protagonist

  Jeanne is David Norris's wife, whom he married after she chose him from among five suitors. When David becomes absorbed in business and forgets their anniversary, she believes divorce is the answer. A...

• Marian (played by Patsy Ruth Miller) — supporting

  Marian is a ward of David Norris. The apparent offer by Jeanne's last suitor to elope with Jeanne is revealed to be a frame-up: he has actually married Marian. She joins David and Jeanne on their tour...

• David Norris (played by Landers Stevens) — supporting

  David is Jeanne Lee's husband. Absorbed in his business, he neglects her and forgets their wedding anniversary, prompting her to threaten divorce. He agrees on the condition that she try to elope with...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• David Norris → Marian (Power Guardian And Ward) — Marian is David's ward, and the ending reveals that she has married Jeanne's last suitor before joining the tour with the other couple.

  The plot identifies Marian as David's ward.

• Jeanne Lee → David Norris (Family Husband And Wife) — Their marriage is strained by David's neglect, then tested by his proposal that Jeanne try to elope with former suitors; the failed attempts lead her to recognize her love for him.

  The plot states that Jeanne marries David and identifies David as her husband. After he forgets their wedding anniversary, they discuss divorce, but J...

Story Analysis

A marital misunderstanding leads Jeanne to test former suitors and recognize that she loves David.

Plot Progression

1. Courtship and Marriage — Five young men court Jeanne, and she chooses David. They marry, and their life together initially goes well.
2. The Forgotten Anniversary — David becomes absorbed in business and neglects Jeanne. When he gets their anniversary date wrong, Jeanne intimates that divorce is the only solution.
3. Testing the Former Suitors — David agrees to divorce on the condition that Jeanne try to elope with a former suitor while he proves his worth. The first three attempts fail for different reasons, and Jeanne comes to understand th...
4. The Final Offer and Departure — The fourth suitor demands an elopement, but Jeanne has had enough. The last offer is exposed as a frame-up, Marian's marriage is revealed, and the two couples leave on a foreign tour.