spoiler alert w. somerset maugham classic on film about a love obsess young man who abuse hurt and humiliate by the object of his obsession to the point of lose everything he have only to find true love in the end under the most unusual circumstance . leslie howard play the role of philip carey a sensitive young arty in paris try to make a living by sell his painting . tell by a local art expert that his work be not at all good enough to be sell to the art go public philip decides to go back to his native england and study medicine and become a physician in order to help others . philip be bear with a club foot be very hypersensitive about his awkward condition and make up for that by be a very pleasant and friendly person . one afternoon philip be at a local café with a fellow medical student and spot pretty waitress mildred rogers and bette davis and and immediately fall in love with her . mildred at first rebuff the love sick philip but later realize just what a sap he be take advantage of his feeling for her . mildred have him spend himself into poverty buy her gift and take her out to the theater every time she off from work . phlip also fall behind on his study and by pay so much attention towards mildred and at the medical university and fail his final exam . go into hock buy an engagement ring for mildred in an attempt to ask for her hand in marriage the cold hearted mildred tell the startled philip that she already engage to be marry to emil miller and alan hale . it turn out that he one of the customer at the café that she always flirt with . philip break and heart sick slowly get his life back together and later retake his medical exam and pass it and at the same time find a new love in nora and fay johnson and a writer for a local love magazine . later to philip shock and surprise mildred walk back into his life . mildred tell philip that her husband emil and who child she carry and throw her out of the house have the kind and understanding philip take her back at the expense of nora who be very much in love with him . it later turn out that mildred wasn not marry to emil but have a child out of wedlock by have an illicit affair with him . emil it turn out be already marry . a before mildred take advantage of philip kind heart for her and her baby daughter and where he support them with food medical attention and shelter and to the point where he again go break and can not continue his study end with her leave philip while after have a very heated and emotional encounter with him . out on the street with nowhere to go philip be take in by mr. athanly and reginald owen and who he once treat at the hospital and fall in love with his daughter sally and france dee . later philip have his club foot correct at the medical center and with the help of mr. athenly get back to be a doctor . it then when he encounter mildred again who really at the end of her rope . dying of tuberculosis and have lose her daughter she all alone with no one to look after her . philip now well to do and respect in medical circle do all he can to help the sick and poor mildred but in the end she succumb to her illness and pass away . mildred have the love and devotion in philip all those year that he be in love with her but choose to abuse him and have affair with man who be just like her and cold unfeeling and selfish . in the end mildred get back just what she give to the kind and sensitive philip represent she become both unloved and alone . philip find in the sweet and care sally everything that mildred wasn not and in the end also find the true love that he be look for all of his life .