Bad girl

On a warm summer night aboard the Hudson excursion steamer Burma, music, flirtation, and cheap refreshments offer New Yorkers a brief escape from crowded flats, factories, and offices. Amid the laughter and dancing, Eddie Collins stands apart from the merriment, young, sharp-eyed, and simmering with contempt for the careless crowd around him. A torn silk cape draped over his arm hints at the quarrel or disappointment that has brought him to the rail.

His brooding solitude is interrupted by a husky-voiced girl in a flame-colored sweater, carrying an untuned ukulele and a pocketful of chocolate almonds. She is followed by an older companion, and their playful exchange immediately draws Eddie into the charged, unpredictable atmosphere of the evening. Against the glittering river and the permissive freedom of the boat, attraction, pride, and social expectation begin to collide. This lively portrait of young working New Yorkers promises a candid, intimate story about romance, reputation, and the difficult choices that follow desire.