The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C(17)H(15)NO(4), contains two independent mol-ecules with similar geometric parameters. In both mol-ecules, the conformation of the cyclo-hexene ring is half-chair, while the pyrrolidinone ring adopts an envelope conformation with the γ-carbon atom of the α-pyrrolidinone ring as the flap. In the crystal, O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds between the carb-oxylic and carbonyl groups link alternate independent mol-ecules into chains propagating in the b-axis direction. The crystal packing also features weak C-H⋯π inter-actions.