Polishing Up

A prison inmate obtains his release from prison in order to rescue his daughter from the clutches of her unscrupulous mother's plot to implicate the girl in a blackmail scheme.

The disgrace and suicide of her father drives Eleanore Marston from her comfortable existence into a life as a department store clerk in New York. There she meets wealthy Powers Fiske, who offers her a life of luxury if she will consent to an operation on her brain which would deprive her of her memory.

Helen Corning, a rich "Yankee" widow's daughter, antagonizes her Southern neighbors when she speeds in her roadster. After she causes Brett Page's stalled Ford to overturn, Helen rams Judge Carroll's wagon, upsetting his eggs which fly into his whiskers. Furious, the Judge sends Helen to jail for thirty days. Brett, taking advantage of the town's ancient law that allows townspeople to hire prisoners for twenty cents per day, takes the uncooperative Helen into his home to cook and clean.

Lester Crope, who has a penchant for inventing imaginative stories, alarms his village by reporting that the dam above the mayor's house has burst; incidentally he "saves" the life of Catherine Willis, the mayor's niece. The town council sends Lester to Dr. Mills of Boston to be treated for his condition. Now cured, his propensity for telling the truth on all occasions upsets village life: he works in a grocery store and informs customers of stale products; he also ruins a real-estate deal that would have meant prosperity for the town. Dr. Mills states that the only way to return Lester to his former safe tricks will be to arrange that he fall in love.

Broadway star Mona Mainard retires from the stage for marriage to rising attorney John Norton and watches his career climb. Over time she becomes concerned with his at times unscrupulous ways of getting convictions. When her brother is accused of murder Norton refuses to give up the case despite being aware of his innocence because a victory could land him the governorship. Mona takes extreme steps to bring him to his senses and exonerate her brother.

The Honorable Hugh Wentworth, arriving from England with a valuable diamond to millionaire Edward Ensloe. Ensloe's eldest daughter Eleanor has romantic designs on Hugh, but he is more attracted to her tomboy sister Peggy. Eleanor is concerned with fashion and society while Peggy prefers tomboy pursuits with her younger brother Bob.

The valet of Lord Harold Varden, on a secret mission to our Government, has been murdered. Dick Holloway, a reporter, detailed to the story, calls on Lord Varden just as the latter feels the effects of poison administered to him. He takes the place of the nobleman when his American cousins come for him, and not only saves his lordship's papers, but captures the spies detailed to get them.

Robert Frazer and Anna Q. Nilsson star in this drama, based on Temple Dusk by Calvin Johnson. David Marlowe (Frazer), the son of a clergyman (Frank Currier), is seduced by the earthly delights of drinking and gambling. While intoxicated he proposes to Ember Edwards (Nilsson), and she accepts because he has told her he is rich and she is sick of her poverty-stricken life. At a gambling house run by Clement Palter (Charles Lane), David takes a 25 dollar check from Bunny Fish (Robert Schable), changes the amount to 2,500 dollars, and proceeds to lose the whole sum at faro.

Young Victor Jones of America is discovered to be an exact lookalike for England's Earl of Rochester, a circumstance which results in Jones deciding to replace the Earl after an unfortunate accident.

Carlotta Darley (Dean) is engaged to Homer Carleton (Crosby), but regrets that Homer is not as tall and handsome as the butler Peter (Kerry).

When an itinerant performing troupe that specializes in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” return to the owner and her son’s hometown for a show the younger brother Roy is nervous and unhappy because he plays Little Eva in the play. Sure that his sweetheart and her family will jeer along with the rest of the town he stumbles during the performance wrecking the set and bringing the show to a grinding halt. All is well though when the town’s hotel proprietor throws a big dinner for the troupe.

George Farrelly, the bored custodian of the safe-deposit vaults in a New York bank, is visited by his childhood sweetheart, Charity Garvice, who tells him that his blind old teacher, Martha Owen, has a premonition that something is wrong in George's life.

John and Flora meet at a ball, but neither can do these modern dances, so they sit out… and run into each other later at a dance studio. Bunny exudes his usual Pickwickian charm. Miss Finch gets involved in a nice bit of physical comedy when her gawkiness makes the dance lesson less than successful.

Peter is smitten with Winifred, a model, whom he met on board the steamer returning from Europe, but is discouraged by his sister, Ena, who is more ambitious for him. Peter is the son of Peter Rolls, the wealthy New Yorker. Ena tells Winifred that Peter is engaged to Eileen, sister of Lord Ravglan and that he is just trifling with her.

Jim Lassells travels to Africa to obtain proof that his cousin Harold Brooks is dead as rumored, and learns that an Algerian sultan killed the rich American. Since it is assumed that Brooks was childless, Jim inherits his cousin's fortune. At a slave market he buys a young girl named Perdita and sends her to a convent in Corsica to be educated. Years later, Jim meets Perdita again while traveling through Corsica with the impecunious Duchess of Westgate and her daughter, Lady Lilah Grey. When the party stops at an inn, Jim discovers that Perdita is not only a Persian princess, but also the long-lost daughter of Brooks, and therefore the rightful heir to Brooks' fortune.