The Young Philadelphians

Anthony Judson Lawrence of the Philadelphia Lawrence's is an ambitious and bright law student. Despite the prestige of his last name within the Philadelphia social scene, Tony has to work hard and use whatever connections he has through his family name to get ahead in life. He even ends up doing physical labor work at the construction company of his mother's friend, Mike Flanagan, to help pay for his schooling. Tony's father, William Lawrence III, died in a car accident on the night of his marriage to Tony's mother, Kate Judson Lawrence. What Tony does not know is that his parent's marriage was one of convenience, which neither truly realized until the wedding night. William, a closeted homosexual, was pressured by his mother to get married to produce an heir, while working class Kate's family wanted the prestige of the Lawrence name. What Tony also does not know is that Mike is his biological father. At the time, Mike and Kate loved each other, but Mike's Irish working class background did not meet with the wants of Kate's family. In the intervening years, Kate has not lived off the Lawrence fortune as William's mother knew the truth of Tony's parentage, but has lived off what the Lawrence name could provide for her and Tony. As Tony makes his way through life, he has to make some pretty tough decisions often conflicting between his professional aspirations and his personal happiness, especially as it relates to two women with whom he has had romantic feelings, Joan Dickinson and Carol Wharton. But what Tony has been able to build may come crashing down around him when he helps his old roommate, Chet Gwynn, through a personal crisis. In helping Chet, the Philadelphia way of life itself is put on trial.