Fanny Herself tells the story of Fanny Brandeis, a young Jewish woman living in the early 20th century. As a girl, after the death of her father, Fanny watches her single mother run a local business in her small Wisconsin hometown in order to feed Fanny and her brother, who has a potential to be violin virtuoso. After her mother passes away, Fanny moves to Chicago, along with her childhood friend Clarence, and becomes a successful buyer at a large mail-order house. Clarence believes Fanny is an artist at heart and wants her to devote herself to art, but she is driven by desire and vision to eventually become a complete woman.