Howard Peyton served two years for forgery. Jerry Grafton, a genteel crook, is on the lookout for him when Howard comes out of prison. He is met at the jail door by his young wife. Jerry also meets him and offers him help, but urged on by his wife, Howard refuses it. When they reach home, his wife, who has a little money, induces him to go to New York and start life anew, and send, for her when he has a position. In New York, he manages to obtain a position in the office of Arthur Jamieson, an importer. Howard sends for his wife to join him. While he is waiting, Grafton finds him and insists that he forge his employer's name, or he will expose his past offense. Naturally weak, Howard yields.
Lulu Leach is a reader of dime novels. One day she is reading a terrifying tale of anarchists. A foreign-looking man enters the office and asks to see her employer, who is out. He hands her a card and strangely enough bears the same name as the anarchist in her novel. She at once imagines him a nihilist. He is joined by a friend and together they look at the next office and rent it from Pearson, Lulu's employer. When they are gone, Lulu warns her boss, but he only laughs at her. It happens that Lulu's employer goes away for a day or two and leaves the office in her charge. This is her chance.
The night of the grand reception and dance finds Belle Oakley in high glee as she leaves for the reception. She arrives at the reception and discovers that she is without her dancing shoes. She announces her loss and immediately all the young men volunteer to go in search of them. Harry Brown, who was not as quick as the others, is left behind and sits dejectedly on the curb while the others drive away.
Sir Brian, an irascible old gentleman, who suffers from gout, receives a note saying his son Gerald is very ill at college, and asking him to come to Dublin. He is too ill to go so he gets his friend, Captain Jenks, to go instead of him. Jenks finds Gerald being nursed by a pretty girl and soon discovers that Gerald is in love with her.
Glory Quayle, a natural-born mimic, leaves her country home, reaches London, goes on the stage, gains fame and affluence. John Storm, her country sweetheart, believing he has lost Glory forever, enters a monastery, tries to forget her, cannot kill his love, returns to the world, becomes a famous slum worker and friend of the poor.
Irene and Helen are worshipers at the shrine of Frangiapani, the tenor of the hour. When he sings at a concert, they meet in Irene's room, take the printed program of the concert, and one of them plays the accompaniment of the song he is actually singing. Irene sees an advertisement for a maid and waitress at Madame Frangiapani's home. The wild thought enters her brain that if she applies and gets the position, she will be nearer her adored. She puts the plan into execution, gets the position, and is waiting for the signor to appear. He does appear in a towering rage, at an adverse criticism in a paper which he is holding in his hand. His wife tries to soothe him and treats him like a little, unreasonable, bad-tempered child.
On Wall Street a strong-willed and arrogant stockbroker, one of those successful men who feels no one else knows anything, exasperates his son, a broker as well. The son goes into business for himself successfully. When a panic comes, his father is brought to the verge of ruin by speculating against him driving a further wedge between them. In time a reconciliation is forged by the women in their lives.
Everybody's ordered out on a strike when Benjamin Cohen, proprietor of a sweat-shop, reduces the employees' wages ten per cent. Rebecca Barish, a young Jewess, and her father, reluctantly go out with the rest. Unable to find other work, their circumstances become so reduced that Rebecca is obliged to go to the pawnshop with some of their belongings, and while there, Jacob Stattler, the pawnbroker, takes a fancy to her, and offers her father, through a schatehen, five hundred dollars to give her to him in manage.
In the college play, Tom and his room-mate, "Bunch," take prominent and successful parts, Tom as the hero and "Bunch" as the heroine, in which he is an excellent female impersonator. The day after the performance, "Bunch" makes an engagement to take a real chorus girl to dinner. Unexpectedly his mother comes to college to visit him and he makes Tom take the girl.
A priest is trying to help a poor family when nearby the father is hit on the head by a criminal who then throws him off a bridge into the water below. The priest administers Last Rites then seeks to help the family and find the murderer.
The spread of yellow journalism in a small town almost destroys the lives of several people and threatens the livelihood of the hamlet itself.
Little Joyce Fairfax loves her thoroughbred colt “Satan.” When financial difficulties force her young, widowed mother to sell her estranged grandfather, Judge Boyce, who had disapproved of her mother’s choice of husband, buys him secretly. When the judge also suffers reverses, he enters Satan in the Dixie Stakes where the unscrupulous Silas Morgan tries trickery to prevent the colt from running. He almost succeeds until a mysterious rider comes to the barrier, and rides Satan to victory. When Mrs. Fairfax hastens to the paddock, she finds Joyce very muddy and soiled in her jockey colors, just then Judge Boyce arrives, and the trio are reunited.
Sailor and novelist Leonard Fayne marries wealthy Isabel Grace, whose riches hamper his creative faculties. On the suggestion of sculptress Katherine Dare, Isabel travels to Europe, leaving her husband permission to use her bank account. Leonard steadily declines in her absence and is on the verge of suicide when he meets Ella Klotz, a waif who is about to kill herself because she is going blind. He takes Ella to his studio to care for her, and believing he owes his life to the girl, Leonard once again begins to write. Meanwhile, Isabel is being pursued by an old suitor named Heminway, but realizes that she still loves her husband and returns from Europe. Heminway tries unsuccessfully to keep the couple apart.
John and Tom Wilkins are brothers and most divergent in natures. John is a clergyman and a noble, upright fellow, while Tom is a scapegrace, wild, reckless and unscrupulous. Not having the parental guidance so essential in youth, his father being dead and his mother blind, he drifted into bad company, the contaminating influence deeply affecting his susceptible nature.
Left in the care of his half-breed brother, Buck, by his dying mother, Wallace Layson has no knowledge of his family history. His father, knowing that his son will inherit a ranch on his 21st birthday, tries to secure the property for himself by persuading a dance hall girl to come between the boy and his fiancée. When Buck learns of the plan he decides to foil it without his half-brother knowing.
An upper class melodrama.
Not one but two of Charlie Chaplin impersonators, Harry Mann and Monty Banks, a film directed by Charley Chase still under the name of Charles Parrott. They go driving around town experiencing various car theft problems.
Little Joyce Reynolds’ parents are estranged with Joyce living with her mother. Distressed Joyce, her friend Eddie and the local doctor devise a plan to bring the couple back together.
When Buster Brown’s mother decides to advertise for a tutor, Buster, Mary Jane and faithful Tige do all they can to dissuade the applicants, but Herr Professor von Blitzen takes command of the situation.
Buster Brown and his sister Mary Jane try to play a prank on Mrs. Benton when she brings her baby to their house. But their father, wise to their antics, has a scheme of his own to thwart their plan.