On a rainy night in 1928 in a Pennsylvania factory town called Iverstown, thirteen-year-old Martha Ivers (Barbara Stanwyck) tries to run away from the guardianship of her wealthy, domineering aunt, Mrs. Ivers (Judith Anderson), with her friend, the street-smart, poor Sam Masterson (Van Heflin). She is caught and brought home where Martha's tutor, Walter O'Neil, presents his timid son, Walter Jr. (Kirk Douglas), as the one responsible for Martha's recovery. Scolded by her aunt, Martha defiantly states her name is not Ivers, but Smith, her father's name.