The Man Who Was Not

In 1843, Stephen Hyde appears before the select board of Salisbury, Connecticut, to claim his voting rights. Stephen is effeminate though, and when he approaches the board, other members challenge his maleness. To end the dispute, the board leader summons the town doctor, Dr. Martin Smythe, to examine Stephen. The doctor informs the board that Stephen Hyde is, indeed, a man, and Stephen wins the right to vote. But Stephen has a secret, and three weeks later, he is suffering from increasingly severe menstrual symptoms. The only way he can get pain medication is to visit Dr. Smythe and reveal his true biology. With the truth in the open, Stephen and Martin bond as friends, eventually becoming intimate. Six months into their relationship, both are surprised beyond belief when Stephen becomes pregnant. The two men must then formulate some way to create and keep a family.