Upon arriving in New York, Katie summons David to the apartment she shares with Lillian ostensibly to thank him for arranging the tour. David then arranges a tour for Lillian beginning at the Palace theater in New York. One month later, David has completed his business and returns to New York, promising to stay in contact with Lillian. After one message finally gets through to Lillian, she finds David in the hospital suffering from an undisclosed illness, and once he is released, the two begin to date. When David, now an entertainment company lawyer, comes to Los Angeles on business, he tries to contact Lillian, but her mother fails to deliver his messages. After Katie whisks Lillian away to Chicago to play the vaudeville circuit, Lillian begins an ascent that culminates in her being billed as "Broadway's youngest star." As the years pass, Lillian progresses from stage to screen star. Katie refuses to let Lillian waste her time playing with the neighborhood children, even though one of the children, David Tredman, has developed a close bond with Lillian. Stung by her mother's critical tone, Lillian breaks into tears, prompting Katie to advise her that "she can cry tomorrow" because they have more important things to do today. In the theatrical district of New York City, Katie Roth, a driven stage mother, pushes her little daughter Lillian to "sell herself" to a casting director.