Warners' publicity releases, intended for newspapers,on this film state that Paul Muni worked closely with James Hilton on the adaptation of Hilton's book for this film. Given that most publicity releases of the time (and also now) are best when taken with several grains of salt, this may or may not be true: Dr. David Newcome lives with his wife Jessica and son Gerald in the small English town of Calderbury. Jessica, conventional and somewhat stupid, is unable to understand the sensitive little boy and her stern, unsympathetic discipline aggravates Gerald's nervousness. The doctor is called to care for Leni, an Austrian dancer stranded in England, who has tried to commit suicide, and he decides she is just the person to hire as a governess for Gerald based on, evidently, no logic at all but it does move the plot. Jessica learns the true story of Leni's background and demands she be discharged. Dr. Newcome arranges to have Leni enrolled in a music school.