John C. Brownell

Margaret has given up her stage career to marry inventor Jerry Benson. Jerry fails to impress oil executive William Graves with his idea, but Margaret has better luck when she catches Graves' attention and she both makes the sale and becomes the object of Graves' obsession. Profits from the invention make the Bensons wealthy; however Graves schemes to steal Margaret from Jerry by swindling them out of their money and getting Broadway floozy Gloria to break up their marriage.

When young Gloria Waring's wealthy father dies, she discovers that her brother--who is heir to the family fortune--is about to marry a well-known golddigger named Teddy Lamont. Gloria steals the will from her father's attorney, James Hamilton, so Teddy won't find out how much money her future husband will inherit. Hamilton finds out about her theft but is unexpectedly sympathetic to Gloria about it. It turns out that Hamilton has reasons for his behavior, and when Gloria discovers why, complications ensue.

Bob and Helen decide to move to California and make a fresh start. Bob wants to buy a nut farm, but Helen dreams of being in the movies. While Bob is looking for a farm to buy, Helen is taken in by a group of scam artists who promise to make her a star. Helen's brother Willie tries to prevent her and Bob from losing all their money to the scam artists.

Nancy Croyden, born of British nobility, languishes in the slums of New York after she elopes with Terrence Flynn, a groom on her father's estate. Nancy dies there, leaving behind a daughter, Susan Flynn, who grows to adulthood in the Bowery. In search of her family, Susan returns to England where she befriends Sir Bevis Neville, an English peer in disguise.

Genteel southern horse-breeder Col. Richard Fairfax is framed on the charge of embezzlement by Martyn Selsby, his business partner, and sentenced to jail.

Bonnie, an innocent orphan girl, is bullied by Bull Dorgan, the crude foreman of the lumber camp who frequents the saloon that her foster father owns. One day, playwright Arthur Wharton arrives in town, brokenhearted because the woman he loved, Elinor Grenville, married another for money. To protect Bonnie from Dorgan, Arthur marries the girl and then leaves her in the care of his sister Charlotte while he travels to Japan. When he returns, Elinor, now a widow, decides she wants Arthur back and so endeavors to estrange the couple by hiring a man to compromise Bonnie.

Violent labor disputes surround a girl living in a mining town.