Jim Belmont, believing his wife Agnes loves Gordon Daniels, leaves for the Canadian wilderness with his daughter Cuddles and his dog Shep. He is killed by Mike Murdock at Daniels' instigation. Shep aids and protects Cuddles, who was abandoned to the mercy of the elements by her father's death. The dog fetches the trapper Poleon Dufresne, who sends for Agnes. She is followed by Daniels. Murdock confesses his crime to Dufresne. Shep saves Agnes from attack by Daniels and herds him to a cliff, where Daniels falls to his death. Agnes and Dufresne then wed.
Benjamin Franklin Gates and Abigail Chase re-team with Riley Poole and, now armed with a stack of long-lost pages from John Wilkes Booth's diary, Ben must follow a clue left there to prove his ancestor's innocence in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
The quiet life style of Ruth Heck and her brother Lem, who belong to a religious sect called the Seekers, is disrupted when a judge imprisons Lem for a crime he did not commit.
With an eye towards social climbing wealthy Dustan Renshaw breaks his engagement with Janet Preece to wed socialite Leslie Brown. Moving abroad after marriage Leslie welcomes her friends the Stonehays while Dustan is away, accompanied by their private secretary, Janet Preece. Janet's sudden illness compels her to remain, and the two women become fast friends. Leslie learns the story of Janet's betrayal by a man known to her only as "D. R. Devastated to learn the truth Leslie leaves Dustan but as time passes, they are reunited at Janet's deathbed.
Hiram, a country youth, is in love with Sallie. They go fishing and Sallie falls into the water. Hiram cannot swim, so he runs to the road and stops an automobile, driven by Alfred, a city chap. The latter rescues Sallie, and she feels grateful to him. His attentions to Sallie are not displeasing, and Hiram becomes insanely jealous.
Mabel is in love with John, the country boy, but her father wants her to marry a Baron. She is locked up in a room, and her father watches her. John takes a bundle of cloth and makes a big firebrand which he throws into the window, at the same time yelling, "Fire." Dad runs for his life and Mabel jumps through the window into the arms of John, who hurries her to the minister's house. The ceremony is about to take place when Dad and the Baron rush in, and Mabel is led home again.
Three rivals are aspirants for the hand of Mabel. Dad falls asleep in a rowboat and is set adrift by one, who tries to win favor as a hero by rescuing him, using a motorboat going at lightning speed. He is exposed, however, and his work goes for naught, as Mabel clings to the man of her choice.
Dr. Stannard Wayne -- like all "good" men of the times -- is a God-fearing soul. He marries the former mistress of his friend, Dr. Arthur Richards, without knowing her past. Richards, an abortionist, resumes his affair with the woman and runs off with her. But before he leaves, he frames Wayne for one of the illegal operations he has done, and the innocent man is sent to prison for five years. When he gets out, Wayne has become angry and cynical.
Gordon Palmer is a lazy and cowardly rich man's son. When he and his fiancée, Aileen Merton, are held up by two crooks, Slug Williams and Beef O'Connell, he passively allows them to take whatever they want. At least he comes to life when they try to steal Aileen's engagement ring -- he scares them into giving that back. Aileen, however, is pretty fed up with him.
Nurse Lucy Weston, seeks revenge and marries a young millionaire she believes is responsible for her father's death.
Out on the range with William Fairbanks.
Bob Spaulding, a manly fellow, meets Dr. Rankin and his wife on the street while they are engaged in a violent tiff. The doctor is about to strike his wife when Bob interferes, incurring the resentment of the doctor. During the flurry Mrs. Rankin drops her card case. From a card inside he learns the address and goes there to return it. They meet, and it is a case of love at first sight; but she is a wife, and beyond his reach.
George is addicted to the flowing cup, and his friends all try to reform him. His intentions are good, but his will is weak and he cannot resist the companionship of bibulous friends. Drastic measures are resorted to, to cure him. One of his friends dresses as a woman, who presents a fierce aspect. When George awakens he is told that while under the influence of liquor he has married his woman, and she proceeds to assert herself. George is in a terrible mental state, but finally he sees the shoe of the "woman" who has forgotten to change those pedal protectors, and the scheme dawns upon him.
The deacon's daughter, Betty, is in love with Harold Price. The deacon wants to buy a horse from Harry's father, but because Mr. Price will not give it to him at his own figure the deacon quarrels with Price, and forbids his daughter to see Harry. A troupe of minstrels, stranded, are walking back to New York, and Harry and Betty meet them. They make up as actors, and, accompanied by their new-found friends, rush to the deacon's home and tell him they are an eloping couple who wish to be married. The deacon ties the knot, and after the ceremony the make-up is removed, and he finds he has officiated at his own daughter's wedding. He finally sees the humor of the situation, and his charitable spirit is shared by Harry's father, who makes him a present of the horse he coveted.
This ill-tempered gentleman accompanies his wife to the seashore, but being so insanely jealous of her makes the stay there rather unpleasant. First of all, he refuses to go bathing in the surf with her, and she, despite his command not to, goes in alone. Towering with rage at his wile's defiance, he gets himself into several embarrassing positions. In fact he makes a fool of himself generally.
Ethel Vandiver and her friend, Marie Le Farve, arrive at the former's country home. Ethel's father objects to her seeing Douglas, whom he thinks is a sweetheart. But, unknown to her parent, Ethel has married Douglas a year before. The day on which she arrives she receives a letter from her husband stating that he would rather see her dead than be separated from her any longer. A few hours later Marie is found dead in Ethel's room.
Two young men are aspirants for the hand of Mabel, Henry and Ned, Ned, walking through the park, accidentally bumps into a gouty old gentleman who furiously resents the shock, and Ned amuses himself by tapping the gouty foot with his cane and keeping out of reach of the lunges of the old man. When he calls at Mabel's home he finds to his consternation that the old gentleman is Mabel's father.
Geoffrey Brooke, an African explorer, becomes a friend of Rodney Miller, a struggling young artist. Through his influence Miller becomes celebrated. Brooke is called to the Congo, leaving behind his bride of a few months. Miller is about to despair of finding a suitable model for his supreme artistic effort, a painting of Circe, the temptress, when Cleo, a bewitchingly beautiful woman enters and offers to pose for it.
Larry Brewster, partner in the music publishing firm of Brewster and Crow, returns from a trip to find that his partner, J.C. Crow has hired Pat O'Rourke as a song plugger.
Queen of the demi-monde, Cynthia is madly infatuated with Rogers, an unprincipled scoundrel, who, secure in his dominance over her, openly makes love to other women in her presence. In a moment of desperation, her womanhood coming to the fore, she calls on Father Sullivan, the good priest at the monastery, who soothes her hysteria and tries to show her the path of rectitude. Jackson pursues his prey into the very walls of the monastery, and triumphantly brings Cynthia back with him. Disheartened, the priest is inclined to let her go her way, but a vision of the Savior rise before him, holding out a saving hand to Mary Magdalene, kneeling at his feet. Filled with holy awe, the priest enters the gilded den of vice and calls on Cynthia.