In its original 1941 syndication (then known as As the Twig Is Bent), this was the story of a young teacher, Andrea Reynolds, who arrived in the town of Beechmont and found herself the subject of vicious gossip. The small-minded citizens resented her "big-town college ideas," and she became alarmed to learn that her predecessor had left in a cloud of scandal.

In the early network run, Andrea had left the small town for the hustle of New York. There she met husband-to-be Bill Peters. After a four year absence, the 1948 run had shifted its focus to Jim and Thelma Carlton. Jim was an irresponsible mamma's boy, and mamma wanted to wreck his marriage. In its final incarnation, as The Story of Ruby Valentine, the setting was black cast. moved to a Harlem beauty parlor, with an all black cast. _{John Dunning}