Following Johnny's diastrous Carnegie Hall debut, Della manages to snag the great Paul Egan as her lover's promoter. He orders Johnny to sing pop rather than opera, and sends him on a long national tour. At home, Paul overwhelms Della with sex. She resents his self-assured smugness, but falls in love with him anyway. Johnny eventually becomes a swell-headed pop star and Della realizes he no longer wants or needs her. He disgusts her. Paul persuades her to marry him.; Nan and the elderly Peter are victims in an auto accident caused by Terry. Terry and Peter are both injured. Nan is forced to decide which man to save and chooses the youthful Terry. Peter dies. Nan grows to hate Terry, blaming him for the death of a brilliant man. She becomes a cold but efficient doctor. Terry wins her love, but she sends him away because he is an irresponsible young man who cut his medical studies short for fun and games. Four years later he reappears, now an intern atoning for the death of Peter. Nan sees the good in him and they marry.; Gale hires Keith to escort her to a party. She tells no one of Keith's job, presents him as an old boyfriend, and has a wonderful time. The two fall in love, but Gale does not want a boyfriend who is an escort. She breaks the relationship off. When the time is right, Keith reveals that he is actually Steve Graham, an insurance salesman, and was posing as an escort to protect a friend from a jealous girlfriend. Gale and Keith renew their love.; Young Dick and Ruth plan to marry. Their friends support the couple. A week before the wedding however the Bradleys tell Ruth she was a foundling and they are not her biological parents. The tale ends with Ruth asking readers if she should tell Dick the disturbing revelation or keep it a secret.; Sharon has been using temper tantrums since childhood to get her way. In college, she continues the behavior and alienates her friends. After a consultation with Miss Hale, she vows to mend her selfish ways.; Six panels depicting young women taking financial advantage of their dates are intended to provoke readers into examining and questioning their "gold digging" motives.