A teenage girl navigates romantic illusions, social pressures, and theatrical ambitions while discovering maturity through community performance.
Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases
The Scout's Ambition
Alice Fullerton supports a boy scout group's fundraising show by allowing them to rehearse at her home. When a reporter arrives, she devises a ghost hoax to protect her new friends, only to have it exposed.
Key Events
Alice's Introduction — Fifteen-year-old Alice Fullerton is introduced as the daughter of a newspaper publisher. Characters: Alice FullertonLocation: Family Home
Scout Show Proposal — A boy scout group proposes a fundraising show to attend camp. Characters: Alice FullertonLocation: Family Home
Rehearsal Permission — Alice grants the scouts permission to rehearse in her family home. Characters: Alice FullertonLocation: Family Home
Reporter's Arrival — A reporter arrives to finish an article, threatening the scouts' rehearsal space. Characters: Alice FullertonLocation: Family Home
Ghost Hoax Attempt — Alice stages a haunting to scare the reporter away from the house. Characters: Alice FullertonLocation: Family Home
Crush and Jealousy
Alice tends to the ill reporter and develops a romantic crush, sparking jealousy in the scout leader. He retaliates by replacing Alice with a singer named Mary Lee, creating tension within the troupe.
Key Events
Ghost Hoax Attempt — Alice stages a haunting to scare the reporter away from the house. Characters: Alice FullertonLocation: Family Home
Hoax Exposed — The reporter sees through the ghost act and confronts Alice directly. Characters: Alice FullertonLocation: Family Home
Truth Revealed — Alice confesses her true motives, and the reporter sympathizes with the scouts. Characters: Alice FullertonLocation: Family Home
Reporter's Illness — The reporter falls ill, prompting Alice to shift from fear to caretaking. Characters: Alice FullertonLocation: Family Home
Developing Crush — Alice tends to the reporter and develops a romantic attraction. Characters: Alice FullertonLocation: Family Home
Jealous Replacement — Jealousy leads to Alice being replaced by singer Mary Lee in the show. Characters: Alice Fullerton, Mary LeeLocation: Family Home
Party Announcement — An upcoming party is announced, motivating Alice to buy an expensive gift. Characters: Alice FullertonLocation: Family Home
Deception and Heartbreak
Determined to impress the reporter at an upcoming party, Alice sells her belongings and borrows a dress. Her mother fabricates a story about a rival reporter named Grace Bristow, shattering Alice's romantic hopes.
Key Events
Party Announcement — An upcoming party is announced, motivating Alice to buy an expensive gift. Characters: Alice FullertonLocation: Family Home
Selling Possessions — Alice sells her belongings to purchase a lighter for the reporter. Characters: Alice FullertonLocation: Town
Borrowing Dress — Alice secretly borrows her mother's dress to appear older at the party. Characters: Alice FullertonLocation: Family Home
Mother's Deception — Alice's mother lies about Vincent being married to reporter Grace Bristow. Characters: Alice Fullerton, Grace BristowLocation: Family Home
Crush Shattered — Alice accepts the lie and abandons her romantic pursuit of the reporter. Characters: Alice FullertonLocation: Family Home
Mary's Illness — Mary Lee falls ill, creating an opening in the performance cast. Characters: Mary LeeLocation: Rehearsal Hall
Grace's Mention — Grace Bristow is referenced as the fabricated rival in the mother's lie. Characters: Grace BristowLocation: Family Home
Stage Triumph
Mary Lee falls ill, allowing Alice to finally take her place in the performance. The scout show proceeds successfully, resolving the earlier conflicts and affirming Alice's growth.
Key Events
Mary's Illness — Mary Lee falls ill, creating an opening in the performance cast. Characters: Mary LeeLocation: Rehearsal Hall
Role Reversal — Alice is finally allowed to take over Mary's part in the show. Characters: Alice Fullerton, Mary LeeLocation: Rehearsal Hall
Show Preparation — The troupe finalizes rehearsals with Alice in her new role. Characters: Alice Fullerton, Mary LeeLocation: Rehearsal Hall
Party Night — Alice attends the party with her gift, now emotionally detached from the reporter. Characters: Alice FullertonLocation: Party Venue
Final Performance — The scout show concludes successfully, resolving all prior conflicts. Characters: Alice Fullerton, Mary LeeLocation: Scout Camp Stage
Resolution — Alice embraces her growth and the community's support. Characters: Alice FullertonLocation: Scout Camp Stage
Story Breakdown
Scout Fundraising Drive — The boy scouts organize a theatrical production to fund their camp trip, drawing Alice into their activities.
Rehearsal Permission — Alice grants access to her family home for practice sessions.
Ghost Hoax Attempt — Alice stages supernatural events to protect the scouts' space.
Reporter Confrontation — The reporter uncovers the deception and demands honesty.
Romantic Misadventures — Alice's caretaking evolves into infatuation, complicated by jealousy and social expectations.
Developing a Crush — Alice tends to the ill reporter and forms emotional attachment.
Jealous Replacement — A scout leader substitutes Alice with another performer out of spite.
Party Gift Preparation — Alice sells possessions to buy an expensive token for the reporter.
Maternal Deception — Alice's mother intervenes with a fabricated story to redirect her daughter's affections.
Borrowing a Dress — Alice secretly wears her mother's attire to appear mature.
Fabricated Rivalry — The mother invents a married reporter to discourage Alice.
Crush Shattered — Alice accepts the lie and abandons her romantic pursuit.
Performance Dynamics — Casting changes and health issues reshape the troupe's lineup and Alice's role.
Mary Lee's Illness — The singer falls sick, creating a vacancy in the cast.
Role Substitution — Alice is finally permitted to assume the vacant part.
Stage Rehearsals — The group finalizes preparations with the updated lineup.
Social Interactions — Community ties and family dynamics influence Alice's decisions and growth.
Family Home Tensions — Household space becomes a battleground for competing interests.
Scout Group Bonding — Alice integrates with the youth organization through shared goals.
Reporter's Recovery — The reporter's health improves, altering Alice's caretaking role.
Climactic Resolution — The performance concludes, resolving conflicts and marking Alice's transition toward maturity.
Final Show Performance — The troupe delivers the fundraising production successfully.
Conflict Resolution — Jealousy and deception dissolve through theatrical collaboration.
Coming of Age Realization — Alice embraces her identity beyond romantic illusions.
Dashing reporter Vincent Bullit has just returned from covering the Spanish Civil War. His boss, newspaper magnate Fullerton, has more plans to send him off to China. However, first Fullerton invites Bullit to the peace and quiet of his own home to write a series of European affair articles. When Fullerton's adolescent daughter Alice develops a crush on Bullit, her suitor, boyscout Ken Warren, doesn't seem to stand a chance. Mr. and Mrs. Fullerton, Ken Warren, and even Vincent Bullit himself do their best to sway young Alice's feelings away from the older man. It's a difficult task though, as she is at 'that certain age.'
