In upstate New York, Tess Skinner (Norma Talmadge) is spurned by the townspeople because her father is a squatter. Nevertheless, she wins the love of the wealthy Frederick Graves (Niles Welch), and they are secretly married. However, when Frederick's mother insists that he marry heiress Madelene Waldersticker, he lacks the courage to admit that he is already married and instead acquiesces to his mother's wishes. For her husband's sake, Tess conceals his crime of bigamy, although they continue to meet in private. The pregnant Tess is then summoned before a council of churchmen and labeled an adulteress because she refuses to name her betrayer. Alone after the death of her father, Tess is shielded by his former attorney, Mr. Young, who offers her and her baby the protection of his home. Several years later, Frederick dies of a heart attack and Tess rewards her faithful friend by becoming his wife.

Location filming took place in Ithica, New York, where the novel is set.

The Secret of the Storm Country

Adapted from: The Secret of the Storm Country by Grace Miller White (1917)

Director: Charles Miller

Year: 1917

Studio: Norma Talmadge Film Corporation

Genre: Drama

Survival status: Lost