Marguerite Nichols

Erma Desmond leaves her uncle and aunt to visit a friend, Phyllis, in the city. There, she finds work as the companion to the highly temperamental Mrs. Stanley. Mrs. Stanley has terrorized her husband to such an extent that he has gone away for a few months, purportedly to take their daughter to school, but mainly to get some peace. The servants, however, are still victims of her terrible fits until the day she decides to head for Reno to get a divorce.

To remove forever anything that will remind him of his dream of happiness that was shattered by his wife's infidelity, Stanley sends his infant daughter Nan to be cared for by a woman named Hopkins. He sends money regularly for her support but never visits her. Nan is treated as a slave and never receives any of the money intended for her.

Millionaire John Huntley-Knox, the owner of the Boston Star, fights political corruption with the aid of William Wendell, the reform district attorney.

Just after Bob's fiancée breaks off their engagement, he meets young Mary, whose mother has just died, and the two of them comfort each other.

James Sterling, wealthy bachelor, is told by his doctor that he must go up into the mountains if he would recover the health lost in his midnight parties. He goes, leaving behind Clarice Driscoll, a society girl whom he loves. In the mountains he meets Lucy Bingham. Away from the city influences, he falls in love with this maid of the wilds

Orphan Mary Wade, is the ward of a family of farmers who keep her busy with drudgery. Mr. Jenkins, the head of the household, makes advances to Mary, she flees to the city with her dog Zippy and lands in court for imitating a beggar who pretends to be blind.

Johnny Madden travels to the city and falls in love with Capella. His mother is heartbroken that her son has flown the nest and that the woman he has flown to is a common actress. She had always intended that he would marry their neighbor, Daisy Brown. Mrs. Madden begins secretly putting the screws to Capella to make her abandon Johnny so that he will come back to the farm and Daisy.

In the dry west, Louise MacLeod works as a secretary for Robert Powell, a lawyer defending businessman John Phelan, whom the ranchers accuse of monopolizing water rights. Louise's father, Gordon, is one of the ranchers, and so Louise keeps him informed of Robert's strategy, resulting in the ranchers winning their case.