John Hampstead gives up his career as an actor and his actress sweetheart, Marian Dounay, to become a minister in a western town. Marian appears, and failing to win him back she tries to ruin his reputation. Hampstead is accused of stealing some jewelry though actually he is protecting the scapegrace brother of his current sweetheart, Bessie.
Mr. and Mrs. Caspar, home-loving, industrious people, long for a little one to bless their lives and their home. Their hopes are not in vain. One night, when they are sitting in the quiet, they hear the voice of a baby. Mr. Caspar, opening the door, finds a deserted child lying on the door-step. Tenderly lifting it in his arms, he brings it to his wife, who cares and nurtures it with a mother's love. Their adopted child is just one year old when a son is born to Mrs. Caspar, and an added joy comes to bless their union.
You would think that the death of his wife through his dissipation and neglect would have brought Jack Moreland to his senses. Instead he is more dissipated, and deserts his child, Clara, who is taken by her uncle, Harold Moreland, and brought up in ignorance of her father's existence.
Just previous to his departure for South Africa and the Boer War, Gordon Frazier, a young officer in the English Army, bids an affectionate farewell to his fiancée, Gladys Mayford. In Africa, engaged in battle, Gordon is rescued from death by a young soldier, with whom he formed a slight acquaintance.
During Nick Austin's imprisonment, his wife passes away. Before she dies, she writes a note to her husband, asking him to put her little girl in the care of an orphan asylum. Mrs. Downes, while bringing some of her dead daughter's clothes to the asylum, takes a fancy to Nina Austin and adopts her.
On Wall Street a strong-willed and arrogant stockbroker, one of those successful men who feels no one else knows anything, exasperates his son, a broker as well. The son goes into business for himself successfully. When a panic comes, his father is brought to the verge of ruin by speculating against him driving a further wedge between them. In time a reconciliation is forged by the women in their lives.
Everybody's ordered out on a strike when Benjamin Cohen, proprietor of a sweat-shop, reduces the employees' wages ten per cent. Rebecca Barish, a young Jewess, and her father, reluctantly go out with the rest. Unable to find other work, their circumstances become so reduced that Rebecca is obliged to go to the pawnshop with some of their belongings, and while there, Jacob Stattler, the pawnbroker, takes a fancy to her, and offers her father, through a schatehen, five hundred dollars to give her to him in manage.
In the college play, Tom and his room-mate, "Bunch," take prominent and successful parts, Tom as the hero and "Bunch" as the heroine, in which he is an excellent female impersonator. The day after the performance, "Bunch" makes an engagement to take a real chorus girl to dinner. Unexpectedly his mother comes to college to visit him and he makes Tom take the girl.
Marie, a self-dependent girl, compromises herself by associating with Petro Maquin. She asks him to keep his promise to marry her. He ignores her and leaves the village to join a band of wreckers. The gossips circulate scandal about her, bringing reproach upon her name.
Love is awakened in the heart of Peter Hansen when he sees his name written within the outlines of a heart on the sands of the seashore. Above his own name is written the name of "Norma," a daughter of Gyntsen, the aristocrat of the little village. Norma's father is a widower. He idolizes his daughter. Peter is a quiet, noble fellow, a fisherman, with the instincts of a poet and the rule of a king. He is not given to associating with his fellows, being of a retiring disposition. His natural timidity and shyness forbid him to make known his love for her and he worships her in silence.
Lord Edward Litchfield is in love with Beth, a beautiful American girl of modest descent. Lord Edward's father goes to Beth and tells her that if Edward marries her, it will ruin his entire career and, at the same time, be a great shock to her parents. Beth bows to his will and on her next visit tells Lord Edward that her love for him has died. In time Edward marries elsewhere and Beth enters a nunnery.
Hugo Reid loves and is engaged to the fair Irene. Warned by his father that insanity runs in their family he chooses to break with her without sharing the reason why. Driven by his loneliness and despair, Hugo goes back to his former flame, Hazel Hamilton, a lady of loose character. Irene sees them together and hurt flees with Hugo in pursuit. At first anxious to win her back, Hugo eventually tells all to Irene’s mother, leaving the house for good. Shortly thereafter he falls into madness.
When the infant Betty Emerson’s father is killed in an accident it drives her mother mad leading to her commitment to an asylum. Betty is sent to an orphanage where after a year’s time wealthy widow, Mrs. Blake, chooses to adopt her. A decade later when a fully recovered Mrs. Emerson is discharged, she begins a search for Betty, leading her to Mrs. Blake’s door. While the two women argue over her Betty enters. Both women plead with her, one to return and the other to stay. Betty offers the solution by staying with both.
Helen Embert, the lodge keeper’s daughter on the estate of wealthy widow Mrs. Melvina Jenkins is in love Bert Harrison. When by happenstance Bert saves Mrs. Jenkins and her daughter Mary from an accident he is instantly smitten with Mary. Feeling rejected, Helen pines away, expiring soon after. Helen’s mother, consumed with revenge, sets her sights on extracting it upon Mary but is prevented from harming her in the nick of time.
Upon his death Jerry Livingstone, a wealthy convict, leaves his son Henry the sole heir of a considerable fortune with the provision of a larger additional sum if he marries Jerry's ward, Winifred Gale. Upon hearing this, Winifred writes to the young Livingstone that she will not participate in a marriage of convenience.
In 1876, Lt. Tony Britton of the 7th Cavalry is in love with pretty young Barbara Manning, but the wife of his superior, Capt. Granson, is in love with him and begs him to run away with her. Britton refuses, but is soon sent to arrest Sioux chief Rain-in-the-Face, who has murdered two soldiers from the 7th. He captures his quarry and carts him off to jail, infuriating the local Indians. When Capt. Granson learns of his wife's infatuation with Britton, he makes trouble for Britton, who is soon forced to resign his commission. He signs up as an army scout, and learns that the Indians are planning to attack and massacre the 7th under the command of Col. George Armstrong Custer. Can he get to Custer in time to warn him of the impending attack, and will he--a disgraced army officer--be believed?
Robert Lovell falls in love with his father’s secretary Dorothy Arden and marries her in secret despite his father and his business partner Daniel Casselis’s attempts to arrange a match for him with Daniel’s daughter, also named Dorothy. When circumstances lead to the three young people ending up stranded on a lonely island in the Pacific, complications ensue, especially when Bob suffers a blow which temporarily wipes out his memory and he cannot remember which Dorothy is his wife! All ends happily, however.
Miss Olivia Martindale, at a dinner, announces: "There is no longer any romance in American life," and immediately arouses a storm of protest.
Lieutenant Curren of the regular army, is assaulted by Private Roy, of his company, and the latter is sent to the military prison. Known as Convict 125, Roy serves a year of his time, then his desire for revenge turns to repentance and he apologizes to Curren. A pardon is secured and Roy reinstated in the service. War breaks out, and Roy saves the Lieutenant's life on the field of battle but loses his own in doing so. From a locket found on Roy, Curren's wife identifies him as her long-lost brother
"Now match him if you can, this Reg'lar Army Man. Rattlin', Rattlin', Colt or Gatlin'. Reg'lar Army Man." The daughter of his old pal and bunkie becomes his ward. He finds they have met before, are already in love, so he proposes and she becomes his wife.