Regina Hubbard Giddens is a Southern woman who resents the fact that she was not able to inherit her father's wealth given the social norms of the era. Her two brothers, Benjamin and Oscar, have profited off their father's wealth, while she must rely on her husband, Horace, a county clerk at a bank who does not have the same business ambitions that she does.
Regina's brother Oscar is married to Birdie, a wealthy alcoholic woman from whom he will inherit a large plantation. When he and Benjamin want to build a cotton mill, they ask Regina to convince her husband Horace to invest the $75,000 required to build it. She sets to work trying to get her hands on Horace's money, even though he is deathly ill with heart disease. Oscar hatches a plan to have his son Leo marry Regina's daughter Alexandra in order to get ahold of Horace's money, but neither Horace nor Alexandra take to this plan.
Regina asks Horace for the money, but he refuses. As a result, Leo, who works as a bank teller, steals Horace's railroad bonds from his safe deposit box. Upon finding out, Horace is furious and says he is going to change his will to give all his inheritance to Alexandra, cutting Regina out. During the chat, Horace has a heart attack and Regina does nothing to help, keeping his plan to change his will a secret. She then threatens to report the fact that Leo stole Horace's bonds unless her brothers give her 75% ownership of the cotton mill.
As a result of this, Alexandra loses all respect for her mother and abandons her. At the end of the play, Regina is very wealthy as a result of the deal, but is completely isolated.
