Arsdale, a candidate for mayor misconstrues the situation when he sees his wife Alice enter the apartment house of gambler Norton. Unknown to him Alice’s sister Mabel had married the dissolute Norton and made her life misery. Norton, recruited by Arsdale’s rival to incriminate his opponent surreptitiously tries to compromise Alice and Arsdale, consumed with jealousy shoots him, ruining all their lives.
Society girl Sybil Lawton is left penniless by her father's death, and though her mother wishes her to marry into wealth, her sole ambition is to achieve fame in the theater. Her youthful charm and talent interest producer Stewart Thrall, who finds her a position with an Omaha stock company. Under Sybil's encouragement, fellow actor Jim Roberts, disillusioned by an unhappy marriage, improves and becomes her self-appointed guardian. Sybil returns to New York and begins rehearsals for "Romeo and Juliet" with Thrall as her costar and Roberts as stage manager. Meanwhile, Thrall's unhappy wife obtains a divorce, and Roberts, recognizing her as the woman who ruined his life, blames Thrall and shoots him at a performance as he bends over "Juliet" on her bier. Thrall recovers, however, declares his love for Sybil, and looks forward to happiness with her.
"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.
Wolf Erickson, captain of the "hell ship" Ellen Miller, returns to port after a very successful voyage. Because of his terrible temper, he is greatly feared by his entire crew. Even his son, John, a boy of about ten years old, is a victim of his father's wrath. The son, however, has not inherited his father's hasty temper.
Allen Bancroft of Lancashire is framed by criminals leading to his imprisonment and subsequent struggle to clear his name and find work, all while facing coercion from the same criminals.
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
The vaudeville act of Harriet and Queenie Mahoney comes to Broadway, where their friend Eddie Kerns needs them for his number in one of Francis Zanfield's shows. When Eddie meets Queenie, he soon falls in love with her—but she is already being courted by Jock Warriner, a member of New York high society. Queenie eventually recognizes that, to Jock, she is nothing more than a toy, and that Eddie is in love with her.
John Howland travels to the frozen North to build a branch of the Hudson Bay Railroad. There he meets and falls in love with Meleese Thoreau who warns him that her three bloodthirsty brothers, Max, Pierre and François, have sworn vengeance against a man named John Howland, the son of a man who killed their mother, and that torture and death await him along the route to his station.
Starvation faces the little post of Red Gold. Jack Thorpe, in a final effort to obtain food for his wife and baby, offers all his gold for one pound of meat.
Among the many beautiful and exciting romances that saw birth, blossomed and grew, during the dark and foreboding days of our great Civil War period, was that of Arthur Deming, the young Confederate officer, and his Southern sweetheart, Alice Munroe.
Huri, an East Indian, calls upon young Putnam on business, and while there the native leaves his most prized possession. Then strange things happen.
Big Bill Branigan, one of the tough characters of London's Limehouse district, falls in love with Curlytop because of her sweet innocence. He leaves his sweetheart, Bessie, for her and resolves to go straight. When he sets out to find a job, the jealous Bessie gets Curlytop drunk and hacks off her long curls.
Bhadon, an aged chemist, actuated by the decree of Buddha that in America the secret of making artificial diamonds would be discovered, gives his life to the cause and succeeds. Elated at his titanic success. Bhadon sends his trusted Hindoo servant to the high priest in India, pleading that Shedah might be spared to assist in disposing of the product. Shedah, the powerful emissary for the cause, is dispatched with her two bodyguards to American soil, where, through her wiles and marvelous beauty, she is enabled to effect sale after sale to the wealthy. This monstrous flooding of the American market with gems of astonishing brilliancy and value alarms, to a marked degree, the Kimberly interests, who controlled this outlet.
Dan Oakley becomes a railroad manager and his attempt to slash expenses by layoffs and lengthening hours incurs the workers' wrath. With the help of Griffith Ryder, labor leader and newspaper editor, they call a strike. The water main which supplies the railroad yards is cut, and a hot engine starts a fire. With water unavailable, the fire spreads to town, but through his superhuman efforts, Oakley gets it under control. His heroic moves win favor with the workers, and the strike is history.
Bob Hamilton gets into trouble when crooks cause the defeat of his father's horse in the Derby, and it is reported he is in with the crooks. The old man disowns him and his sweetheart, Patricia , breaks their engagement. So Bob and "Skipper", the also-suspected trainer, head for the western tracks, taking with them the horse Hamilton Senior forced them to buy, determined to make good and prove they are on the level.
A bedridden war veteran relives his experiences endured in the battles of Tacna and Arica between Chile and Peru, revealing untold secrets and mysteries that history never told.
Her husband was just what she was not, cold and brutal and even a little criminal. He earned his living in God knows what way, but once he boldly boasted that he and a confederate was to rob a house. She pleaded with him to forsake the dishonest plan, but he laughed and hurled her aside. She sobbed and begged, but he merely enjoyed her tears, and left the house. Outside he met his accomplice. The little wife followed him, caught up with him on the corner, and again pleaded with him to return home. In his rage he turned and struck her on the head. The woman fell and did not rise again. The two ran off. A little later she was found lying there by a farmer and his wife, who revived her. She did not know who or what she was. Her memory was a complete blank.