Emily, an unwed mother with a two-month-old child, desperately needed two more dollars to pay rent at a rundown boarding house, but she had nowhere to turn but to the alley where women sold themselves. Crying and carrying Betsy, Emily paused, but before she could take the final steps, rich and handsome Hans Erikson, who had longed for Emily but thought she was married, agreed to pay the two dollars she asked for but insisted that the going rate was 25 cents, and two dollars paid for the whole night.

Hans took Emily and Betsy home; and, when he told Emily she could stay with him, Emily thought he just wanted a prostitute and demanded $14 a week. Amused, Hans agreed to her terms but evaded her bed because he intended to marry her and give Betsy his name. However, keeping an unmarried woman in a home with a single man was scandalous. Could Emily learn to trust Hans? Could she overcome the scandal? Could this relationship work?