Plot

A classical musician from the slums is sidetracked by his love for a wealthy, neurotic socialite.

Paul Boray comes from a working class background. He has been interested in the violin since he was a child, which his father disliked since he felt it a waste of money, but which his mother supported. Into his adult life, Paul wants to become a concert violinist, and although he shows talent, he does not have the right connections to make it into the concert performance world, much like his longtime friend, virtuoso pianist Sid Jeffers, and cellist Gina, both who, like Paul, train with the National Institute Orchestra. Gina and Paul have a connection with each other, Gina who confesses her love for him. While performing at a party with Sid, Paul meets Helen and Victor Wright, their hosts. Victor is a perceptive but self-admittedly weak man, while his wife Helen is strong minded but insecure which manifests itself as neurosis. She constantly tries to forget about her unhappy life by excessive alcohol consumption. Helen becomes Paul's benefactress, which ultimately results in a successful concert career for Paul. But the two also fall in love, a destructive love against the wishes of Paul's mother and Gina. That love may not only destroy Paul's concert career, but their lives as well.—Huggo

Helen Wright, a neurotic society woman, sets her sights on ambitious young violinist Paul Boray, who returns her love, but is undeterred from his music. She becomes his patroness, helping him to great success, but cannot abide being of secondary importance ("second fiddle?") in his life. Tragedy ensues.—Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net>

From a modest family, Paul Boray is a gifted and ambitious young violinist who is finding it difficult to break through. One evening, he is invited to a social gathering given by Helen Wright. A wealthy woman and patron of young artists, Helen is married to a middle-aged man, Victor, who turns a blind eye to his wife's infidelities. Fascinated by Paul's personality, Helen tries to get closer to the young violinist, but he rejects her advances. Nevertheless, she helps him to meet influential people in the music world so that he can succeed and his career can finally take off. Paul finally responds to his patron's advances, and the two lovers fall passionately in love. Concerned about their relationship, Paul's mother openly opposes the affair. On another occasion, Helen sees Paul in a bar with a childhood friend who is also in love with him. Paul has been a professional violinist since the age of 11. This meeting would later prove decisive in Helen's decision to take her own life. To find out more, Helen goes to meet Paul's mother in the apartment above the grocery store where Paul's father has always worked as a grocer. Helen asks questions about their relationship, and although Paul truly loves Helen, his passion for his art gradually takes precedence over their affair. One evening, when Paul is playing a concert, Helen listens to him on the radio, having refused to go to the performance. Convinced of the impossibility of their relationship, Helen heads for the beach and out into the ocean.