凯瑟琳（奥利维娅·德哈维兰 Olivia de Havilland 饰）是一个非常平凡的女孩，和大部分的同龄姑娘一样，她有些害羞，有些内向，同时内心里又怀揣着对浪漫和爱情的美好幻。一次偶然中，凯瑟琳意外地获得了一大笔钱，摇身一变成为了小富婆，她的一夜暴富瞬间吸引了一波男人来到她的身边，像苍蝇一样地围着她打转。 莫里斯（蒙哥马利·克利夫特 Montgomery Clift 饰）就是其中的一个，他有着英俊帅气的外表和风趣优雅的谈吐，十分具有欺骗性，凯瑟琳差一点点就掉进了他亲手编织的陷阱里。好在最终聪慧的凯瑟琳识破了莫里斯的阴谋，保住了自己的财产，也保住了自己的纯洁。

In this family saga, Mrs. Parkington recounts the story of her life, beginning as a hotel maid in frontier Nevada where she is swept off her feet by mine owner and financier Augustus Parkington. He moves them to New York, tries to remake her into a society woman, and establishes their home among the wealthiest of New York's high society. Family and social life is not always peaceful, however, and she guides us, in flashbacks, through the rises and falls of the Parkington family fortunes.