Plot

This movie chronicles Australian-born opera star Marjorie Lawrence's success, her battle with polio, and her eventual career comeback.

Marjorie Lawrence crowds her life with excitement and achievement from the day she leaves her Australian home and goes to Paris to study voice. After a triumphal debut at the Paris Opera she becomes famous overnight, and her debut at the Met in New York establishes her as one of the great singers of her time. With all her dreams come true, tragedy strikes in the form of infantile paralysis and she faces a life of confinement to a wheelchair. Although she reaches the depths of despair, she manages through the love and devotion of her husband, Dr. Tom King (Glenn Ford), she begins to build a new career by singing to servicemen who, like herself, are confined to wheelchairs.—Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>

Biopic of Australian star Marjorie Lawrence , who took the opera world by storm and made a remarkable comeback after being crippled by polio, with the help of her devoted husband, Dr. Tim King. Starting out by singing to crippled servicemen, like herself confined to wheelchairs, she builds a new career.—Jwelch5742

Despite her humble background as the daughter of an Australian sheep farmer, Marjorie Lawrence travels to Europe to study opera after she wins a regional opera contest in Geelong. Against the odds of even getting noticed by a vocal coach, she manages to train under the tutelage of renowned Madame Gilly. From there, with her brother Cyril at her side as her manager, Marjorie goes from one operatic success to another through Europe. When she goes to New York for her debut at the Met, she reconnects with obstetrician Dr. Thomas King, the man who helped a then lonely Marjorie celebrate her first ever opera success in Monte Carlo years earlier. Despite their competing professional priorities - Tom is just starting his medical practice - Tom and Marjorie decide to marry, with Marjorie forgoing touring. The focus of their lives change when Marjorie is stricken with polio, the disease which confines her to a wheelchair. Marjorie retreats not only from singing but from life. It isn't until she is shown others less fortunate than herself that she begins to work toward a life as a singer again.—Huggo

With the help of her family, Marjorie Lawrence sneaked out of the family farm in Winchelsea to participate in an opera contest and won. She was given credentials and a letter of introduction and went to France to study with famous opera coach Madam Cécile Gilly.

A year later, Marjorie's father died and she was on the brink of giving up her career when Madam Gilly recommended her for the role of Musetta, in the new production of La Boheme at Monte Carlo Opera. She was an overnight success.

At the hotel lobby, a happy but lonely Marjorie was about to return to her room after giving her family the good news, a kind young American offered to take her out and celebrate. It was love at first sight for Dr. Thomas King and Marjorie, but the next morning they went on their separate ways - he back to New York to start his practice, she started a two-year contract with Monte Carlo Opera.

With the aggressive management of kid brother Cyril and suitor Comte Claude des Vignaux, Marjorie soon gain international fame and started to tour with prominent opera companies such as Paris Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. Thomas went to see her after the opening night of Metropolitan's production of Götterdämmerung, the two fell in lover all over again.

Thomas was just a struggling obstetrician and considered to be below Marjorie's stature. Realising that she couldn't have both a normal life with Thomas and a career, Marjorie ignored both Cyril and Thomas' protest and cancelled all tours, contended with being a contract soprano with Metropolitan Opera. Marjorie and Thomas got married; a disappointed Cyril broke away from his sister and went on to manage other prima donnas.

The Metropolitan Opera was going to put on a production of Tristan und Isolda and wanted Marjorie to sing the lead soprano, with the condition that she must go on a tour to get some practice and experience with this new role. Seeing that even Thomas agreed that she should go, she went on a Latin America tour.

Marjorie clasped during a rehearsal and was diagnosed to have contracted Poliomyelitis, became completely paralysed. Thomas gave up his practice and they moved to Florida to begin a full-fledged rehabilitation. Marjorie made good progress with her upper body, but she was never to get back the use of her legs.

After a suicide attempt, Marjorie finally came out of her depression and Thomas was able to go back to New York to re-open his practice. Marjorie, now needed to live in place with warm climates, was scheduled to join him in the spring.

One day an old friend of Thomas', Dr. Ed Ryson, now drafted to fight in WWII, dropped in to visited Thomas and suggested that she perform for the patients in the hospital. This little performance developed in to a tour, Marjorie began to tour the world singing for American soldiers.

With her new-found confidence from this tour, Marjorie agreed to return to stage and Metropolitan Opera put on a redesigned production of Tristan und Isolda, where she could perform sitting down. The performance was a success and Marjorie was even able to stand up and walk a few steps at the end.