In a small midwestern town in the wake of World War I, Alice Adams delightedly finds herself being pursued by Arthur Russell, a gentleman of a higher social class in life. Desperate to keep her family's lower-middle-class status a secret, she and her parents concoct various schemes to keep their family afloat. Though ultimately the realities of her situation reveal themselves to be too great to overcome, and her relationship with Arthur fizzles, Alice's acceptance of this leads her to seek out w...