The Madcap

Mary Brenton, daughter of wealthy Anthony Brenton, marries a man her father doesn't approve of, and they become estranged. When she tries to return home, her father refuses to let her in. Her daughter, Angele, disguises herself as a Belgian war refugee and her grandfather--not knowing who she really is--takes her into his house and, eventually, into his heart.

When, on a prank, shimmy dancer Marcia Meadows visits bookworm Horace Tarbox in his Yale dormitory, Horace falls madly in love and follows her to New York where he and Marcia marry. Denounced by his wealthy father, Horace attempts to support Marcia through his writing, but all his manuscripts are rejected, and he is fired from every job.

At a party thrown at the Metcalf estate, the Marquise D'Irancy's Sultana diamond disappears when the lights go out during a power failure. Suspected of the crime is William Kirkland, the wastrel son of the wealthy Kirkland family, but William's sister Diana comes to his defense. Aiding her in the investigation is Clamp, a wandering peddler.

Obscured by modesty and the ethics of the old school, old Doctor Jones, a master of his profession, pursues his practice in the village of Condon. A shunner of publicity and fame, his wife's work is wrapped up in promoting the welfare of his fellow-beings.

Pretty Irish lass Pegeen O'Barry lives in a small fishing village on the cost with her kind but alcoholic father and her vicious stepmother Moll. When her father is killed during a drunken brawl, a stunned Pegeen wanders down to the shore in her grief. She is noticed by Sir Arthur Ormsby, an Englishman who just happens to be sailing his yacht up the coast. He takes a liking to her and before long she's moved into his estate. Things are going along swimmingly until Arthur's wastrel brother Guy shows up.

A feud in the Adirondack Mountains develops when Randolph Shaw will not give up a shack and its acreage adjoining the estate of Lord Cecil Bazelhurst, whose wife, the former Evelyn Banks of Jersey City, married him for his title and now wants to get rid of Randolph's ugly shack. When Randolph meets Cecil's sister Penelope, a romance begins which is furthered after one of the Bazelhurst servants shoots Randolph in the arm for trespassing and Penelope, who earlier had looked upon the feud as a joke, runs away to Randolph's house and accepts his engagement proposal. Cecil and his men pursue Penelope, but are frightened away by Randolph's men and are forced to spend a miserable stormy night in the woods. The next day everyone becomes reconciled when Lady Evelyn realizes that the desired property will now be in the family, and Randolph offers Cecil and his men dry, if ill-fitting, garments to wear.

Larry Moore is a young amateur actor and lives at the same boarding house with Adele Lawrence, a rising young star, who has just secured the leading part in a play called "The Love Behind the Throne." Moore has been unsuccessful in his attempts to get a place and Adele sympathizes with him deeply.

When noted scientist John Vandam dies in the Orient, he leaves the guardianship of his eighteen-year-old daughter to his old friend Sandy Verrall. Sandy believes that Eliza is a little girl and so prepares for the arrival of a child. Displeased with the situation, Eliza decides to dress and act like a kid so that Sandy will tire of her and send her away.

Upon returning home from school one day, Lotus Blossom, a Japanese orphan who lives on the island of Hilo in Hawaii and teaches at a native school, discovers Parker, nearly dead from hunger. Believing his story of a shipwreck, Lotus nurses him back to health and then, mistaking loneliness for love, agrees to marry her patient. Soon tiring of her, Parker deserts her and assumes a new identity.

Wade Hildreth is sent to New York from London to receive a diamond necklace for Lady Gwendolyn from the jeweler Arabin. A gang of crooks led by Pete Fielding, known as "The Shadow," plans to keep Hildreth from going to Arabin's until they have robbed the store. Actress Morn Light, whom the Shadow loves, agrees to entice Hildreth to her apartment to be imprisoned. When she warns Hildreth because she wants to avenge her father's death, which was caused by the Shadow, the Shadow overhears and captures them both.

Judith Wingate has married for wealth, but desires love, while her friend Marion Gregory has married for love, but longs for wealth. Chester Wingate refuses to grant Judith a divorce, even though he is having an affair and Judith has taken wealthy Oliver Sloan for a lover.

Jennie is a slavey in a theatrical boarding house. To her the actors are all wonderful, but Montague Booth is the chief. In an accident Booth is disfigured for life and is saved from suicide by Jennie. They join a medicine show in which Booth is lecturer, but Jennie cannot stand the road. Booth leaves the show and takes up a homestead claim. The manager of the show sends one of Booth's old loves to get him back, for his services are valuable, but Belle fails after very nearly wrecking everyone's happiness.

In a mining town a young orphan girl is engaged to miner Bashful Bill. "The Greaser" ,a menacing Mexican, terrorizes the town's residents. A stranger arrives, accidentally shoots himself, and is cared for by the girl. He falls in love with her, unaware of her engagement. When The Greaser's actions escalate it leads to a confrontation during which the stranger and Greaser kill each other, saving Bashful Bill and the girl.

Based on a play by Edward Bulwer-Lytton. Originally released in six reels, but later cut to four due to poor reviews.

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.