Brutal rental agent Joseph McGuire demands that Molly-O marry McGuire's son Denny, lest her family be thrown out of their humble shack. But Molly-O prefers the company of carriage driver Larry O'Dea, who unfortunately is just as broke as she is. Or is he?
A jazz-mad Nancy Burrard is a young matron easing her boredom by flirting with married men.
Caroline Rogers, a spirited young girl with a taste for highly romantic novels, comes home from boarding school to attend her sister Ethel's wedding. Having read a particularly lurid novel entitled Twin Souls recently, she arrives at the rehearsal wearing a daring gown in the hope of ensnaring a "soul mate." Because of his poetic name, Caroline becomes involved with Reginald Van Alden, a married fortune-seeker. On the morning of the wedding, she abandons her old sweetheart, Bob Worth, to take a ride with Reginald, but when he takes her to a disreputable roadhouse, she escapes and then tries to commit suicide by drinking cologne.
Young Celeste Janvier ( Bessie Love ) lives in an East Side tenement with her immigrant grandfather, a humanitarian and socialist. Like her kindly grandfather, Celeste also has a kindhearted soul, and her friendly nature has earned her the nickname, " the little sister of everybody."
The Dawn of Understanding is a lost 1918 American silent Western comedy film produced by The Vitagraph Company of America and directed by David Smith. It stars Bessie Love in the first film of her nine-film contract with Vitagraph.
Marcus Down makes only $15 a week. He has always paid spot cash for everything, until he meets Mamie New and they are wed. Then Mamie shows him how simple it is to get things on the easy payment plan. At first everything is rosy and matters go very smoothly for the young couple. Then the collectors begin to get busy and finally Marcus has nothing left, not even his bride, for the parson comes to take her for his fee, which had been arranged for on a ten cents a day basis.
One day Coventry Petmore leaves his wife and child to go out in the world and fight the social evils of divorce and loveless marriage. Circumstances lead him to the home of Judge Mitchell, where the judge's son, a minister, and his wife Beatrice reside. The minister does not believe in expressing affection to his wife, and Beatrice becomes enamored of her chauffeur Larry Price.
Twins Nelson and J. Barrington Drake return home for the celebration of their parents' 50th wedding anniversary. Barrington is a wealthy oilman, but Nelson is a pastor in a small rural church, who is struggling to increase his ever-shrinking flock, Barrington tells him that his problem could be solved with the right type of salesmanship, and proceeds to map out a plan to do just that. However, a case of mistaken identity--and a scheme by two of the church's deacons to take over all of the church property--throws a wrench into his plans.
Perla Quaranta, a half-starved "daughter of Little Italy," is given the place in Carlo Bruni's "Butterfly Act" that is vacated by a chorus girl who has become overweight. Although Perla becomes friendly with Krug, the wire-man, she rejects him as a suitor, and in revenge Krug causes Perla's wire to break.
Fernie Schmidt (Colleen Moore) lives with her parents in the rear of their delicatessen. The smells of the business - cheeses, sausages, garlic and pickled herrings - repulses Fernie, who dreams of leaving this environment and moving into a life that's more rarified. Her father, Pop Schmidt (Jean Hersholt) has plans for his daughter to marry Peter Halitovsky (Arthur Stone), a sausage salesman, but Fernie is repulsed by the idea. At a dance, Fernie meets Jack Dugan (Malcolm McGregor), who tells her that he is in stocks, a paper-counter, and she falls for him. Because of her rejection of her father's chosen candidate for matrimony, Pop puts Fernie out of the house.
Gold digging blonde Lorelei and her brunette friend Dorothy are searching for rich husbands. This film is believed lost.
When newlywed Robert Ellis suspects that his missing wife is having a clandestine affair, he appeals to his friend, Pat Murphy, to find her. Pat's search leads him to the Waldorf-Astoria where he finds a woman named Edna Ellis and, assuming that she is Ellis' errant wife, kidnaps her and returns her to Ellis. Complications arise when the real Mrs. Ellis arrives home and discovers another woman. After several comic incidents, Pat falls in love with Edna and Ellis learns that his wife's secret rendezvous was with her sister.
A reporter and a detective team up to solve the murder of a nightclub singer who had been involved in a divorce scandal.
A woman objects to her bachelor friend getting married, so she makes him appear so ridiculous that the other woman refuses to marry him.
Maude Brooks is in love with an aviator, George Pinckney. Maude tells her father that she intends to marry George, as he is a splendid fellow, but her father will not listen to her. So she decides to elope. Maude meets George at the machine and together they fly up into the air. Mr. Brooks, who has been apprised of his daughter's intentions, starts in pursuit.
A mountaineer, who has been shot by a pursuing sheriff, is concealed by a mountain girl in her cabin. When the sheriff arrives, she gives him whiskey, while secretly removing the bullets from his gun.
Fred Hart, a young businessman, unknown to his wife, draws their savings from the bank with the purpose of buying a home as a birthday surprise for his wife. He finds a real estate agent who has just the kind of a home he is looking for. He has to visit the agent's home during the course of his business transactions, he becomes well acquainted with the agent's family. The real estate man, a camera fiend, suggests to Fred his taking a picture of him and his family. Fred is agreeable and the agent gives him a copy of the picture. Fred puts it in his pocket and returns home to his wife.
Disappointed that her daughter has not married into money, a mother meddles trying to make the girl unhappy with life in her new home, the economical housing development known as Honeymoon Flats.
Serious university co-ed Alice Smith, is wholly engrossed, it would appear, in chasing butterflies and rare insects under the guidance of her friend, Mr. Spangle, Ph. D., though she secretly yearns to be an athlete and thus win the admiration of Jerry Marvin, a popular schoolmate. She takes up swimming, making herself the campus joke because of her ideas on the subject.
Removed from an orphanage, Nance Olden is taken to live at Mother Hogan's boarding-house for crooks. There she becomes Tom Morgan's partner, helping him steal a jewel from Edward Ramsey at Union Station.