West Indian born Corinne La Force, who is biracial, is raised by Henry Hasbrook after her father's death. Corinne loves Hasbrook's nephew, Arnold Curtis. When Hasbrook tries to prevent the match because of her heritage she murders him. Arnold is arrested though Marcia Fleming, a married woman who is Arnold’s mistress and her mother-in-law fall under suspicion. Defending Arnold John Fleming discovers the affair and renounces his wife. Arnold is about to confess in hopes of saving Marcia's reputation when Corinne admits her guilt and stabs herself.
When Grace Raymond follows Neil Garth, her hard-drinking fiancé, West, she finds him living in a squalid desert cabin. Forced to choose between being raped by outlaws or giving in to Neil's sexual demands, Grace moves in with her fiancé. A year later, Grace rescues James Stapleton, a gold miner, from a desert death and helps him to escape from Neil's greedy clutches. Before Neil can punish her, she knocks him out and flees to New York, where she meets and then marries Oliver West, a jeweler with failing vision. To help with his medical bills, Grace sells a short story, but Neil shows up and threatens to expose her past unless she gives him her earnings. Eventually, Oliver finds out about Grace and Neil and goes blind from the shock. Determined to win Oliver back, Grace enlists the help of Stapleton, now a rich broker, to thwart Neil and secure a sight-restoring operation for Oliver. When Oliver hears Neil's confession of Grace's difficult past, he finally forgives her.
"The Dawn of Freedom" is a stinging satire on the death of those ideals that prompted the founders of the United States.
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.
The Twelfth Regiment is to leave for the front in the morning at seven, and Captain Steadwell, who has been missing for three days, has not yet appeared. Unless he is found and returned to the head of his company by seven the next morning, disgrace will fall on him and his fiancée, Ellen Ferguson. Ellen is also loved by the new assistant secretary of war, Richard Ralston, who does not know of her engagement, Worried by Steadwell's continued absence, Ellen appeals to Dick to find him. Dick sets out to locate him, and the trail leads to Gladys, an actress whose photo was on Steadwell's table.
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.
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.
After a serious quarrel with his father concerning his debts, Wallace Dixon leaves the house in anger, declaring that he will live his life as beat pleases him. That night, Alfred Dixon, the father, hears a noise by the safe in his bedroom, where he is sleeping, and shoots at the intruder who escapes unharmed.
Thinking that her husband is paying more attention to his work and to their little daughter, Nina, than to her, Cleo Morin runs away with Henri Mordan. On the afternoon of their elopement, Morin, who is a ballet master, is seriously injured on the stage, and the doctor tells him that his spine is so affected that he will never be able to walk again.
A wealthy young fellow during vacation becomes infatuated with a poor country girl.
Though her father forbids her to marry Jack Harvey, a poor young artist, Molly Wilson becomes his wife and goes away with him to another town. Bessie, the eldest daughter, an attractive widow with two baby boys and a baby girl, pleads with her father in Molly's behalf, but he is obdurate.
This part-talkie (17 minutes of dialogue in its 83-minute running time) tells the tale of Christina, the daughter of Dutch toymaker Niklaas. Much to her dad's dismay, Christina falls in love with sideshow huckster Jan. Likewise disapproving of the romance is Jan's jealous employer Mme. Bosman, who frames the young man on an embezzlement charge.
A respectable Paris jeweller becomes engaged to a celebrated performer of the Montmartre cafes.
Richard Gordon is an aspiring composer who can't get arrested in his field of endeavor. Upon meeting nightclub singer Mary Talbot, Gordon is inspired to write his greatest melody. The song catches the ear of impresario George Monroe and before long Gordon has scaled the heights of fame and fortune. Mary despairs that she's been forgotten.
Shortly after the engagement of John Brown and Hope Avery is announced, he receives an offer of a fine position in South America. She demurs at his going, but he overcomes her objections and after a tender farewell, leaves her with the promise to return within a year and make her his wife. Philip Lane is injured in an auto accident near the Avery home, and Hope discovers him. She has him taken to her home and during his convalescence, he falls deeply in love with her.
With all the good influences and favorable surroundings of a model home, Mr. and Mrs. Gray cannot understand why their son, Jack, does not prefer it to all other places. Jack seeks pleasure elsewhere and his father finds fault with him for his non-appearance at supper-time or his delay in getting home a certain hour at night.
The leader of "The Sons of the Brazen Joss," one of the Tongs, or Chinese social organizations, is murdered by Moy Wong, cunning leader of The Four Grains of Rice," a Tong of higher class and bitter enemies of the "Sons." Sworn to vengeance, the "Sons" await an opportunity to get even.
A romance of the rail, this two-part "thriller" uses wireless telegraphy as the means of averting a disaster to an express train.
The old sheriff dies. In jest, the mountaineers nominate Kaintucky Bill, the worst moonshiner in the state, for the office. Considering it a huge joke, Kaintucky Bill takes the oath of office.