Two sisters from Indiana, the wide-eyed, innocent and beautiful Mae Thorpe, and her sister June, also beautiful but more streetwise, move into the Rolf House for Homeless Girls in New York. With June's help, Mae obtains a job as a stenographer for scientist Joseph von Schraeder, while June gets work as a telegraph operator at Western Union. On the lookout for a man, June begins dating Pat Kelly, a saxophone player with a fifth-grade education, who lavishes her with gifts. Although June is proud that she has something to show from her boyfriend, she is derided by Mae, who begins to date Boyd Wheeler, a Harvard graduate and lawyer. Mae turns down a marriage proposal from von Schraeder, saying she is the "same as engaged to someone else." As a result, he asks her to leave her job because it would hurt him to have her around. Mae compromises her virtue with Boyd by staying alone with him one night in his apartment. She suffers for her choice when he goes out of town for a month and returns engaged to a socialite. Now, June derides Mae for trusting someone from a higher class. As her sister has been out of work for months, June goes to von Schraeder, who kindly offers to rehire Mae. He realizes, however, that he is really in love with June. After her first week back at work, Mae asks von Schraeder to renew his proposal as she is pregnant. He does so graciously, but on the eve of her engagement party, Boyd returns, his engagement having been broken. June is aware that Boyd is already responsible for one broken engagement and prevents Mae from seeing him again. June changes her mind, realizing her sister has a chance for happiness, and borrows Kelly's gun. She, Kelly and Mae go to Boyd's apartment, where June forces Boyd at gunpoint to agree to marry Mae. He happily complies. Later, June and Kelly run into von Schraeder at a Chinese restaurant, and after sending Kelly away, June tells von Schraeder the news. He is not disappointed, revealing he is in love with her, and she reciprocates his affection.