In Edwardian England, orphaned Arthur Kipps finds a new sixpence as he walks along a stream with his girl friend, Ann. Before going to a nearby town to serve as apprentice to a draper, Kipps has a blacksmith cut the coin in two and gives one half to Ann as a symbol of their love. Kipps's work at the drape store is difficult and his living conditions minimal, but his luck changes when he becomes friends with Harry Chitterlow, an eccentric actor-playwright; Chitterlow discovers from the newspaper that Kipps is heir to a fortune left him by his grandfather.
Now a wealthy young man, Kipps rewards the showman by investing in one of his productions and then leaves the store for a trip abroad. Upon his return, he forgets his vow to Ann, who is now a maid in a large manor, becomes engaged to snobbish socialite Helen Walsingham, and allows her brother Hubert to invest his money. His break with his former friends becomes final when he leads a crew of his aristocratic friends to victory in the Henley Regatta. Kipps soon realizes the shallowness of his new lifestyle, however, and renews his pledge to Ann by breaking his engagement. Kipps and Ann get married and move into his grandfather's mansion, as he makes plans to build her the most elegant home in England. Ann despises her husband's grandiose airs, and their marriage soon becomes a series of quarrels over social status. Their problems multiply when Hubert disappears, leaving behind a mountain of unpaid bills and a bankrupt Kipps. Sobered by misfortune, Kipps happily returns to his former way of life with his old friends and prepares to settle down in a modest cottage with Ann.
Later, Chitterlow unexpectedly reappears with news that his play is a smashing success and that Kipps will reap a percentage of the profits. |
