Beautiful 18-year-old debutante Gloria Morgan marries the much older heir of the Vanderbilt fortune. When he dies right after the birth of their baby girl (also named Gloria), Gloria moves to the libertine France, aggravating the family.
When Gloria's sister-in-law refuses to give back her daughter to her, she hires a lawyer and a no-holds-barred custody battle begins, quickly becoming the most famous and scandalous court case of the Depression Era US thanks to tabloids.