Carol Milford says "I do not admit that Main Street is as beautiful as it should be! I do not admit that dish-washing is enough to satisfy all women!"

Her efforts meet with resistance, but a retreat to Washington, D.C. reveals that big city life presents its own problems, and she must learn to accept and appreciate Gopher Prairie for what it is.

Harry Sinclair Lewis' books Elmer Gantry, Main Street, Babbitt, Kingsblood Royal, and Cass Timberlane were all banned in various places and times in the United States.