“Inspired by Daudet's novel, ‘La Raison Sociale,' de Fuentes gives us another psychological study of a woman. We see the rise and fall of María Félix in a role similar to those in classic American melodramas. De Fuentes explores the deepest motivation of his female characters, especially the non-conforming spirit of his young woman from the petite bourgeoisie. She resents the factory clock. Her marriage of convenience to a rich, mature man happens only because of her desire to climb the social ladder. Her insecurity and excessive anxiety push her from one lover to another until her ‘downfall' as a prostitute and cabaret singer ‘surrounded by drunken laughter.'”