Life in Death

Three friends meet a woman on their holiday from city life. Things turn ugly pretty fast.

Although Susan Branch is herself without finances, she has many wealthy friends who supply her with clothes and gay times. She is in love with struggling author Nick Lansing, who also attracts the interests of Susan's chief patron, Ursula Gillow, and is persuaded by Ellie Vanderlyn to marry him for at least a year's happiness. Their marriage falls apart when their wedding gifts are spent; they become involved with the Vanderlyns' domestic affairs; and Ursula decides she wants Nick for herself. However, the lawyer handling the Lansings' divorce proceedings brings them back together, and Nick sells his novel. A lost film.

An Egyptian Princess is infatuated with Karmet, a Syrian prince who is disguised as a merchant. He, however, loves Arvia, a dancer. The Princess plots to sacrifice Arvia to the sacred crocodiles. Arvia is saved by her father and united to Karmet. The princess weds Prince Tut, who afterwards becomes King of Egypt.

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.

Eli Turner, an unscrupulous lawyer, is defeated in court by Frank Morrison, a young attorney. Frank also has had the temerity to get in Turner's path over a girl. Now Turner plots to send Morrison to prison, but Nance, a mountain girl, who admires Frank, warns him of his danger.

After years of service, the Captain of the Setuckit Life Saving Station on Cape Cod retires, Calvin Homer, the second in command, Calvin Homer expects to be promoted; but the appointment goes instead to Bartlett, a religious fanatic who has been the recipient of a good deal of favorable newspaper publicity. Calvin hands in his resignation.

Betty starts out for a walk and is warned by her sweetheart and his friends to be careful as there are likely to be bandits about. She laughingly tells them she is not afraid, as she has her dog with her, who will be ample protection. During her stroll Betty finds a shack and decides to investigate.

Captain Gant is a hard man. The closest he had ever come to having a friend was in the person of his mate, Warren Gillcrest. The captain was hated by his men.

A young girl is trying to live an honest life in a crooked city. Caught up with a crook that might be the son of a millionaire and other crooked people, she must attempt to reform things, or at least one person.

A married couple, each in love with another, attempts to unentangle themselves from their marriage in order to be with the one each truly loves. But the more they untangle one knot, the faster more confusing knots appear.

Two schoolteachers, married for love, are parted by the husband's obsessive desire for wealth and social position.

Russell Carrington accepts the blame for a murder charge to protect Rita, the woman he loves, from being accused of killing her husband. He escapes the police, and in a fishing village he assumes the name of Carr and is about to marry Dorothy Wheeler, the town belle, when detectives hired by Rita break up the ceremony and arrest him. Refusing to defend himself, Carrington is sentenced to life imprisonment but is released a year later as the result of the statement of "Sly Sam," a burglar who saw Rita shoot her husband. Dorothy, who has been living with a wealthy aunt in New York, is about to marry wealthy Ross Gunther, but Carrington is released and visits her home on the night of her engagement party. He thrashes a newspaper reporter who threatens to expose her affair with him, and the lovers are happily reunited.

A shop girl has ambitions of marrying up.

Vere Herbert lives with her wicked mother, Lady Dolly (Marie Curtis), who is living in sin with Lord Jura (Glen White). Although Vere is in love with an opera singer, Lucien Correze (Harry Hilliard), Lady Dolly convinces her that marrying the dissolute Prince Zouroff (Walter Law) will save her father's honor. But the Prince makes her miserable and insists on having his mistress, Jeanne deSonnaz (Caille Torrez), live with them.

Camille is a courtesan in Paris. She falls deeply in love with a young man of promise, Armand Duval. When Armand's father begs her not to ruin his hopes of a career and position by marrying Armand, she acquiesces and leaves her lover. However, when poverty and terminal illness overwhelm her, Camille discovers that Armand has not lost his love for her.

Mary Lynde (Theda Bara) is an innocent girl who has grown up in New York's Greenwich Village. One of the artists there, Felix Benavente (Sidney Mason), uses her as model when he paints a portrait of the Madonna for a church. His friend Robert Sinclair (Hugh Thompson) corrupts Mary so that her father (Walter Law) casts her from his home. She goes to live with Sinclair in his mountain lodge, but after the birth of a child, he callously casts her aside. Subsequently, her baby dies and she sinks to the depths of despair.

In Hell's Valley, Texas Ranger Captain Wally kills Jose Valdez, leading Jose's brothers, Carlos and Manuel, to seek revenge at the Flores ranch. Wally is wounded pursuing them but is saved by Rosita Flores, his original sweetheart's daughter, who nurses him but secretly seeks his torture for her father, and also for herself. Carlos and Manuel fall for Rosita, but she, in turn, falls for Wally, leading to Carlos accidentally killing Manuel and Don Flores killing Carlos, with Wally and Rosita's relationship solidified.

Engine No. 19 is the pride of Tom's heart, but as he is unable to lot drink alone he is discharged. Feeling that he no longer can obtain employment, he leaves home, and soon starts on the downward path. He is about to enter a bar-room when the face of his mother haunts him. He puts aside the temptation and decides to return home. A bandit tries to overpower the engineer on the Limited, but is captured by Tom who creeps over the top of the car. He refuses a reward, but states that if he had his position back he would prove himself a man. He returns to his mother and sweetheart who have read of his heroism and are pleased to see him.

Theda Bara's vamping is at its most evil here. She plays the Russian Princess Petrovitch, who loves only her pearls. Her husband, the Prince (E.F. Roseman), sells state secrets to a spy to pay her exorbitant bills, and her response is to report him to the secret police. Then she runs off to Monte Carlo with her lover, Count Zerstoff (Emil deVarney), but she poisons him after he racks up a load of gambling losses.

Florid melodrama of misunderstandings, betrayal and desperation as Theda schemes to keep the title secret.