White Banners 1938

On a dreary, cold, and snowy day in 1919 Indiana, Hannah Parmlee arrives at the door of a kind couple, Paul Ward and his wife, Marcia Ward, peddling apple peelers. Asked by Mrs. Ward to come inside and warm up, Hannah sees that they are struggling financially and are in need of domestic help. She offers her services and becomes their cook and housekeeper for room and board.

Mr. Ward, a science teacher by day and an inventor by night, is plotting to create something that will provide enough money for Marcia, their teenage daughter Sally Ward, and their new baby to enjoy some luxuries in life. Hannah, who is extremely wise and helpful, comes up with good ideas and persuades Ward to sell old and useless furniture to raise funds and carve out a space for his work in the basement.

Their teenaged neighbor, Peter Trimble, is one of Ward’s students and the son of Sam Trimble, the town’s richest man. Hannah is pleased to know Peter and to be a part of his life. In her devotion to him, however, she is never able to indulge the motherly instinct she feels, except in an indirect way. He is very good at science, and after Hannah suggests that he set a good example for the boy, Ward asks Peter to become his assistant. Sally develops a crush on Peter.

Ward’s invention, an iceless icebox, is unintentionally revealed by Peter to local mechanics Joe Ellis and his brother Bill Ellis. When the Ellis brothers steal it and have it patented, Peter feels so bad about what he did that he lies when Ward asks him about it. In the meantime, Sally becomes ill with pneumonia.

Hannah persuades Ward that it is best to turn the other cheek and to give Peter another chance. Ward then develops a new and better feature for his invention, which is on its way to becoming an electric home refrigerator. Sally recovers and she and her mother, Marcia, leave on a trip with the baby.

Another crisis arises, however, when wealthy Chicago businessman Thomas Bradford arrives to discuss financing of Ward’s invention. Hannah reveals to Ward that Peter Trimble is her son who she was forced to give up all those years ago because he was born out of wedlock. When Bradford finds out that Peter is his son, he wants to claim him. Hannah, however, persuades him not to reveal the truth to Peter.

Satisfied with the kind of young man her son has become, and that he is on the right path in life, Hannah leaves without Peter, who believes that his adoptive parents are his biological parents. She walks off into the wintry landscape.