The Greatest Question

The Greatest Question is a 1919 American drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. Based upon a novel by William Hale, the film has a plot involving spiritualism.

Plot

Nellie Jarvis, the daughter of itinerant parents, witnesses the murder of an elderly woman by Mr. and Mrs. Scrubble as a child. Years later, now known as "Little Miss Yes'm," she returns to the same community as an orphan. She is taken in by the impoverished Hilton family, consisting of Mr. Hilton, Mrs. Hilton, and their son Jimmie Hilton, who becomes her sweetheart.
To support the family, Nellie finds work at a nearby farmhouse, where she is abused and mistreated. She eventually recognizes the farmer as the man involved in the murder she witnessed years earlier.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Hilton prays for relief from their hardship, appealing to the spirit of her deceased son. The following day, oil is discovered on the Hilton property. Jimmie rushes to rescue Nellie from the Scrubbles, arriving in time to prevent further harm. The oil discovery makes the Hiltons wealthy.