Makes intimate and personal the American dilemma of the turn of the 1920's, an age of eager but anxious pursuit of financial success and social status through commerce. Maitland (Matey) White has built an enviable life for his family by working doggedly for a soap manufacturer, having abandoned his youthful dreams to be a painter. At 43, encouraged by his wife, Nancy, he determines to take a leave from business and pick up a brush. But when their gifted son determines to give up his own artistic ambitions for financial security, just as a turn in the markets squeezes the family's resources, Matey and Nancy must face decisions they thought they'd put behind them -- this time, without the naive confidence of their youth.