Therese Roger, daughter of a West Indian planter, whose parents are murdered while she is a baby, becomes the adopted daughter of her aunt, Madame Roger, keeper of a haberdashery shop in one of the smaller villages in southern France. She grows up with Camille, Madame Roger's son, a sickly, sexless creature, whom she ultimately marries in deference to her aunt's wishes.
Morganson's Finish was inspired by the Jack London story of the same name. The hero, Dick Gilbert is in love with wealthy Barbara Wesley but he is disgraced in her eyes through the underhanded machinations of his rival Dan Morganson.
Bob Marston, a San Francisco socialite turned amateur detective is assigned to apprehend a gang of bootleggers.
A son tries to overturn the disgrace of his father, who committed suicide.
The fathers of Isabel Channing and Howard Billings were good friends until they had a falling-out over a horse and swore to be enemies forever. Years later, Howard is seen returning from college and Isabel, who has lost her,is working hard to keep the old homestead (and stables) together. Thornhill is trying his best to cheat her out of everything. Howard takes a hand.
George Darrel presents Helen Gray, his fiancée, with a very valuable engagement ring of antique design, which is an heirloom. They have a serious quarrel over Dave Brower, one of her friends, and Darrel leaves for the west.
On account of an urgent business call, Mr. and Mrs. Leslie hurriedly close their summer home at Hudsoncliff and leave with their daughter, Jane, for the city. Bob, their son, decides to visit his parents at Hudsoncliff with his friend, Ralph Lyons. Bob and Ralph find the house locked up and, after some reconnoitering, enter through a window. Ralph hurts his ankle and is unable to attend a dance that evening, so Bob goes instead. Jane, on her arrival in the city, finds she has left her necklace in the safe at their summer home, and leaves a note for her mother, saying she is going back for it.
A blackmailed ex-thief is executed for a murder he didn't commit.
"Hurricane" Jack Foster is a smuggler who ignores his wife and child in order to pursue Marguerite Blair, the unhappy wife of the Chief Ranger of the North West Mounted Police. Foster lays plans for his final theft, after which he will elope with Marguerite, although Blair lays his own plans to thwart his rival. Dispirited over Blair's lack of attention, Marguerite nonetheless calls his office before running away with Foster in a last effort to reconcile with her husband. Marguerite cannot reach Blair but does receive a message that his remoteness has been due to his job rather than "another woman." When Foster then attempts to carry out his plan and knocks out Blair in the process, Marguerite does not hesitate to shoot Foster. With Foster and his gang rounded up, the Blairs reconcile.
Laurie Devon is a New York playwright who, having had one success, refuses to work on another play.
In a jewelry store, Grace Norris, a wealthy girl, unnoticed by the salesman, absent-mindedly takes a vanity case. She is seen by Fred Wright, who thinks she stole it.
Mr. Williams, a stern father and man of wealth, disinherits his son Hugh, for marrying Rose, a seamstress. Twenty years later, although Sose is practically supporting her sick husband, their little store is taken from them and they are obliged to move, with Martha, their daughter, to the tenement district.
To help his dying father, assistant bank cashier Arthur Mansfield enters a fake sum in the bank's account book, but before carrying out the pilferage, he confesses to cashier Slayton, his superior. Slayton, who needs money to pay for his unsuccessful speculations, goes at night to take the money that Mansfield planned to embezzle, so that Mansfield will take the blame.
Lillie's parents are caretakers of the property adjoining Mr. Montgomery's estate. He is a wealthy bachelor. Lillie's pleasures consist in shooting, boating and gathering flowers, while roaming through Mr. Montgomery's woods and gardens. Cobbs, the grouchy gardener, has orders to keep all trespassers off the grounds and in vain to keep the troublesome Lillie away. Jack, the owner's nephew, arrives on a visit, and starts out to frighten away the trespasser, but instead falls in love with Lillie and she introduces him to her parents. A pleasing romance follows and the young people get a bead of fun out of fooling the old gardener and Mr. Montgomery, but Jack always reports that the little trespasser cannot be found.
Robert Brent and Dick Morgan, the former wealthy, the latter poor, are chums at one of the big colleges until they both fall in love with Viola Scott, a college girl.
Hartley, fascinated by the vampish Leonie, steals and serves a term in prison. Not satisfied with this downfall, Leonie again works her womanly charms upon Dr. Gerald, who is engaged to Johanna, the adopted daughter of Dr. McLean. Learning of the woman's designs on the young doctor, Hartley denounces her in Gerald's presence. In response, Gerald foolishly renounces Johanna and his friendship with Dr. McLean. However, when Leonie discovers that Johanna is her own daughter whom she had deserted as a child, she becomes conscience-stricken, gives up the young man and begs forgiveness.
Priscilla Worth, an innocent country girl, goes to the city to visit her aunt, who has sent for her, thinking that her childlike simplicity will afford a welcome relief to Vincent Morgan, a wealthy bachelor and man-about-town. The plan works, but soon after Vincent and Priscilla's marriage, Vincent, besieged by his friends to return to his gay life and suspicious of his wife's relationship with Durant--an artist who has painted her portrait--yields to temptation.
Fresh from her college matriculation. Ruth Grantland returns to her country home. She is courted by two of the village beaux, who propose marriage. She likes the boys, but not sufficiently to marry them. Her preference is for Jack Hall, a young man of extreme culture and refinement. She tells the two boys that she will consent to marry them if they can beat her in a footrace, taking each one on separately. They agree, and she, being fleet of foot, runs away from them, crossing the line far in the lead. Jack, riding horseback, happens along and takes in the fun. Later, he proposes to Ruth.
Helen Winthrop has ambition for the stage and when, during his summer sojourn at her home town, she is introduced to De la Marre, a popular star and dramatic favorite, she is elated and asks him to give her a part in one of his plays. He consents and from that moment she becomes restless, and longs to shake the dust of her village home from her feet. Her old sweetheart, John Tobin, is no longer in her class and receives a very cold goodbye when she leaves to shine in the limelight.
Jim Crosby, the product of a broken home, becomes a gangster and goes to prison. Meanwhile, Ann Payton, an heiress, converts a saloon into a mission. She is engaged to her father's secretary, Temple Vaughn, a gambler. Jim is released from prison and seeks shelter at the mission. Temple becomes indebted to gambler Phil Johnson and is forced to arrange a crooked poker game involving some of his wealthy friends. Jim overhears the plot and, realizing that Temple is Ann's fiancé, robs the poker game and puts a check Temple forged into Temple's own pocket.