To own a house in Washington Square is a sign of success in nineteenth-century New York, and Dr Austin Sloper is a successful man. He is also fashionable, interesting, amusing, and clever.

在19世纪的纽约，成功的标志就是在华盛顿广场拥有一幢自己的房屋，奥斯汀·斯洛珀医生就是一个成功的人。他生活时尚，为人风趣，又聪明机智，很招人喜爱。

His daughter Catherine is none of those things. She is a good, simple girl, who loves and admires her father and always tries hard to please him, but she is a great disappointment to him. Dr Sloper does not expect any interest or excitement from Catherine.

这些特点在他女儿凯瑟琳身上却一个也看不到。她是一个善良单纯的姑娘，热爱并崇拜自己的父亲，一心一意想讨他的欢心，却令他非常失望。斯洛珀医生从不指望凯瑟琳身上会发生什么有趣或令人激动的事情。

But life in Washington Square does become rather exciting, after all. Romance arrives, in the shape of a handsome young man who comes to court Catherine. This pleases Catherine's foolish aunt, Mrs Penniman, very much; she thinks Morris Townsend is charming, and so of course does Catherine. Dr Sloper, however, looks at young Mr Townsend rather differently. The Doctor is a rich man, and is conscious that after his death Catherine will inherit a fortune of 30,000 dollars a year. He wonders why such a charming and handsome young man is courting his dull daughter...

但是华盛顿广场的生活最终却变得很不平静。这里发生了一段罗曼史，一个相貌英俊的年轻人来到这里追求凯瑟琳。凯瑟琳的姑姑，头脑简单的彭尼曼夫人着实为此感到高兴;她觉得莫里斯·汤森非常迷人，凯瑟琳当然也是这么认为的。可是，斯洛珀医生对年轻的汤森先生却有着截然不同的看法。医生很有钱，也知道自己死后凯瑟琳会继承一笔每年3万美元的遗产。他想知道这样一个英俊潇洒的年轻人为什么会追求他那毫无趣致的女儿……