Susan Slade (1961)
At the age of 17, Susan Slade, who is shy by nature, is travelling to California after spending ten years in a remote Chilean mine where her father worked as a chief engineer. During her voyage on the ship, she meets Conn White, a handsome mountain climber who is on his way to Alaska, and they develop a romantic relationship. However, after arriving in Monterey, Susan finds herself longing to hear from Conn. In the meantime, she attracts the attention of two local men: Hoyt Brecker, a horse wrangler who is the son of a criminal, and Wells Corbett, a kind young man who struggles to break free from the shadow of his high-society parents.
Fast forward two years, and Susan is burdened by a desperate secret that she is unable to share due to her socially-conscious mother's disapproval. As Susan searches for happiness, she begins to question what it truly means to become a woman.