Mary Holmes (MacKellar), once a famous opera star known as Maria di Nardi, now lives in a run-down shanty and suffers from alcoholism. Known for her eccentric behavior, Mary breeds geese, and is thus known in her neighborhood as 'The Goose Woman'. She blames her grown son Geoffrey (Linden) for the deterioration of her voice, and does everything to destroy his life. When Geoffrey, who works as a commercial artist, announces to her that he will marry Joan Hoyt (Arthur), an actress, she becomes torn with jealousy and threatens to reveal to Joan that he is an illegitimate birth.
Helen MacKellar
as Mary Holmes
Eric Linden
as Geoffrey Holmes
Jean Arthur
as Joan Hoyt
Richard 'Skeets' Gallagher
as Ben Pratt
Ivan F. Simpson
as Jacob Riggs
Clay Clement
as G.K. Ethridge
J. Carrol Naish
as Gary Kent
Roscoe Ates
as Bill-poster Klondike
Rochelle Hudson
as Betty
John Sheehan
as Tom Kincaid
Franklin Parker
as Brooks
Edward Nugent
as Flanagan
