Nick Naylor receives an order to take a picture of the camera-shy millionaire A.K. Wellington. As the millionaire is traveling with his daughter, Nick follows them to Lake Placid, Palm Beach and even Havana. In Havana, he is then able to shoot the photos of the millionaire. There, they are both kidnapped.
Simon Pepper lives as a miserly recluse since the death of his young wife thirty years earlier. He is attended by his secretary and lookalike Abner Quigley, and housekeeper Pansy Pooley, who hires her niece, Queenie, as her assistant. Believing she would be living with a wealthy aunt, Queenie is disillusioned with her new job, although she is befriended by Vivian Van Winkle, the heir to a noodle fortune and an amateur poet known as "Cocobola."
Before his daughter can formally claim her rightful title, her father dies. Now her blue-blooded American suitor finds that his father refuses to allow the two to marry as she is not a high-born lady.
In Singapore, Captain Robert Anstruthers protects his friend, Colonel Costabel, from a scandal involving the Colonel’s wife and Lord Ventnor. When Robert intervenes, Ventnor frames him for harassing the wife. To shield her innocence, Robert stays silent, is dishonorably discharged, and becomes a sailor under an assumed name.After a shipwreck, Robert saves Iris Deane, the ship owner's daughter. While surviving on a deserted island, they fall in love. When a rescue party arrives—led by Ventnor, Iris's suitor—Ventnor tries to discredit him. However, the Colonel's wife confesses the truth back in Singapore. Cleared of all charges, Robert is restored to his military rank and reunited with Iris.
Spirited Beatrice Corlin challenges William Steele to successfully construct a cabin on the disputed land, promising to cook him a home-cooked dinner if he succeeds. Beatrice then enlists the aid of an acquaintance named Joe Embry to help her win the bet. After several clashes between the men, Embry’s true colors are revealed when he abducts Beatrice. Learning of the treachery, William comes to her rescue. The ordeal brings William and Beatrice to the realization that they have fallen in love with each other. Rather than settling their wager, they cancel the bet by merging their land and getting married.
Pearl White is a child living alone on a South Seas island after the death of her missionary father. By a stroke of luck, she becomes an heiress, and is transplanted into modern society.
When the other members of a stranded theatrical company pool their funds to return to San Francisco, Yvonne Laraby remains in Colt City, Nevada, at the request of Andrew Reed, an oil company foreman, to consider his marriage proposal. There she meets oil well owner Clay Truxall, a former acquaintance, who asks her to become his secretary. Yvonne falls in love with Truxall and persuades Reed to return to his sweetheart, Marie Curtis, whom he had deserted for Yvonne.
Enid North, who is engaged to manufacturer John Barr, secretly takes a business course and gets a position in Barr's offices, without his knowledge. (The general manager has been instructed to give her anything she wants.) Attracting the attentions of the office men, she is threatened with dismissal by Barr, and she returns her engagement ring. She suspects John of being unfaithful when she sees him comforting a cafe performer. Enid visits a roadhouse with Amos Lott, who unknown to her is married and has a brood of children; they barely escape detectives who mistake them for criminals; and at Lott's home Enid is berated by his wife. She discovers that Barr has been following her, and confessing her folly she begs his forgiveness.
Socialite Joan Higham visits the bachelor apartment of Floyd Benham and a blackmailer photographs her there. She then tries to protect her reputation and her relationship with Jerome de Witt.
Donald Keith, a young lawyer who takes up residence in the small town of Owasco, Michigan, finds himself opposed by lumber king Quartus Hembly, feared by all the townspeople. Keith takes up the case of Daniel Kersten against Hembly, who has cheated him out of his property, and during his investigation he discovers that the father of Thora Erickson, whom he loves, conspired with Hembly against Kersten, and at length he obtains a deathbed confession from Erickson.
During the height of Prohibition courageous reporter Chick Slater and determined "sob sister" journalist Myrtle Hines uncover a dangerous bootlegging and extortion ring operating in their city. As they dig into the corruption, they get swept into a web of racketeers, mob violence, and romantic complications. The film explores the power of the press as the journalists risk everything to expose the criminal underworld.
Neil Rogers, a young man who owns a substantial share of a Western gold mine, comes East and falls in love with the rather wild Elizabeth Vandegrift.
Upon her stepfather's death, the custody of Jane Day is willed to his wealthy young nephew, Jim Atherton. When Jim, accompanied by his fiancée, visits his ward, Jane becomes so upset at their intrusion that she runs away to the city with her dog, Buddie. There she is befriended by theatrical producer Allen Hamilton who, upon discovering Jane's natural musical ability, offers to send her to Paris to study.
An innocent country girl, Mary Ellen Ellis, moves to the city with an experienced man, Walter Benton, under the promise of marriage. Once in the city, she finds herself in a "world of crime" but reforms a burglar named Bull Clark. Clark, in turn, saves her from another criminal called "The Weasel," and repays her with his gratitude.
Candace is deeply distraught and on the verge of suicide after being betrayed and discarded by her lover when a man named Craig Boardman intervenes. He stops her by convincing her to live and proposes a plan to exact revenge on all men. Boardman takes Candace to Paris. There, under the guidance of a famous courtesan named Madame Binnat, she changes her name to Laure and transforms into an alluring seductress. Her path crosses with members of the Eastcoat family—including an American millionaire and his sons—setting the stage for her calculated vengeance.
The Rector of a wealthy church loses the sympathy and support of parishioners when he preaches the doctrine of Christ to sacrifice worldly goods. He establishes a mission among the lower classes and, although he is beaten for his efforts, he gains happiness by doing good.
Aviator Richard March, is shot down over France, though not badly hurt in the crash, he steals a kiss from Marion Weston, the Red Cross nurse whose ambulance comes to his aid. After the war, Richard resumes his professional life as an actor and meets Marion by chance at a skating party. At first she snubs him, but he soon charms her, and they become constant companions. Marion later believes that Richard is having an affair with Suzette, his leading lady, and she again turns the cold shoulder toward him. Richard writes a play based on his own experiences, and Marion comes to see she misjudged him. Connie, who is jealous of Richard's love for Marion, attempts to compromise him. Connie herself later confesses her scheme to discredit Richard, and Richard and Marion are reunited.
Penniless inventor Jack Saunders, in search of a girl he loves, assumes the guilt for a murder in return for $20,000 and promise of a pardon at the end of a year. When the agreement is not fulfilled, he breaks jail and appears, demanding justice, before the governor, whose daughter, Margaret, committed the crime in self-defense. Saunders prevents her forced marriage to politician Burke, and Margaret, recognizing her lost love, clears his name and is herself exonerated.
Helen Meriless, a serious young girl, marries a shallow man, while Frances Lloyd, a butterfly type, marries a level-headed engineer. Both start their honeymoon on the same ship. A shipwreck causes a mix-up of the married persons; Helen and her husband remain faithful to each other, but Frances and her husband separately engage in adulterous activities. A rescue ship carries away the faithless couple, leaving the others to their fate; but the latter survive and eventually triumph.
Wealthy shipowner Lawrence Bradbury is determined to catch silk thieves who operate by means of his ships. His brother Jim, the ringleader, hoodwinks Lawrence into thinking he is a revenue officer. The skipper and a friend are suspected, but the friend proves to be the revenue man and the crooked brother is caught.