無聲戲

A provincial household drama follows an arranged marriage between an awkward, ill-favored husband and a brilliant, beautiful young wife whose disgust with his habits drives her into a vow of pious seclusion. The husband brings in a second, equally attractive bride and domestic rivalry, deception, and physical coercion ensue. Religious performance, social pretence, and calculated compromises shape the household’s power struggles, while neighbors, matchmakers, and magistrates intervene. Through episodes of seduction, humiliation, and legal scrutiny, the narrative examines mismatched unions, appearance versus temperament, gendered authority, and the limited choices available to women within customary marriage arrangements.