Richard Thorn, a wealthy young man who returns from Africa after his father's death to manage the family estate. While at the train station, he hires a taxi driven by Davis, a disgruntled man who envies Thorn's wealth and lifestyle. The story explores the contrast between the wealthy Thorn and the resentful Davis.

When Gilbert Warren discovers his law partner Arthur Fenton making crooked deals, he severs their relationship and opens an office of his own. Louise Talcott, daughter of Colonel Talcott, is loved by both. She favors Warren. Out of jealousy, when Warren leaves town, Fenton schemes to blacken his name. Warren is appointed to vet the street railway franchise. When Fenton hears of this, he reports to Colonel Talcott and the Mayor that Warren is a grafter. The Colonel floats a deal to test Warren and finds him honest. Later, the Colonel and the Mayor apologize to Warren as he embraces Louise.

Wealthy bachelor Forest Keene lives in a mansion with his nephew Rex Booth and housekeeper Janet. Rex and Janet are in love with each other, but Keene objects to the match threatening disinheritance in the event of a marriage. Gifted with an ancient knife, Keene nods off holding it, falling into a nightmare where he sees the ruination of them all because of his obstinacy. Awakening he realizes the folly of his objections and gives his consent to Rex and Janet’s union.

Paul is a fearless French Foreign Legion officer. Ordered to quell a native uprising at a far-away outpost, he discovers that the revolt is actually a subterfuge hatched by the Arabs, so that the city under Paul's command will be left unguarded and defenseless.

A lost film. A Teacher is struggling to control her classroom. Her failure has evidently reached the ears of the members of the board of education, and a committee of the guardians of public instruction visits the school. and the shortcomings of Ruth, the teacher, are apparent. She is dismissed from her position in disgrace; a holiday is proclaimed. The children depart, and Ruth is alone in her sorrow and bitterness of her failure. Sorrowfully she dons her wraps and leaves the school room with its disappointing memories. Ruth then applies for the position of a stenographer in an office.

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.

Young lawyer Richard Potter and Irene Roberts are secretly engaged but Irene’s social climbing mother wants her to marry a wealthy man. To that end she schemes with banker David Winters to break up Richard and Irene and pair her with Winters profligate son Gerald Winters. They succeed temporarily but Gerald is a violent drunk who runs with a fast crowd and eventually ends up charged with murder. Though innocent Gerald has been well framed and faces the gallows until Irene appeals to Richard, now the District Attorney, for aid. At the eleventh hour a confession saves Richard, allowing Richard and Irene to reunite.

Miriam, daughter of wealthy politician John Barker is engaged to reporter George Prescott. Prescott is assigned to expose gambling conditions and discovers Barker is a grafter. Miriam doesn’t believe Prescott and breaks the engagement only to fall victim to gambling fever. When she is arrested in a raid on a gaming house her father sees the error of his ways and becomes a reform candidate of the "Clean-up" party. He wins and George and Miriam reunite.

Gladys Manners, a wealthy socialite feels unfulfilled by her privileged life. Her millionaire father suggests a camping trip to the mountains. The prospect of escaping society's constraints strongly appeals to Gladys. While in the mountains, she meets Bill Long, a mountain guide. Bill rescues Gladys from a dangerous fall, and soon after, her sweetheart, Frank, makes an unexpected visit.

Vitturo Caggoni is a gay-hearted, rollicking Italian troubadour. He meets a young woman, Marjorie Holbrook, and falls in love with her, serenades her, and courts her in the old romantic troubadour way.

On the eve of the marriage of her daughter, Alita, Mrs. Allen, unhappily married for 25 years, advocates writer Fannie Hurst's widely publicized mode of living with her husband: only two breakfasts a week together and complete freedom otherwise.

Pegeen O'Neill must fend for herself when her father Dan becomes mentally unbalanced after his wife Mary's death. Dan spends his days searching for his wife, setting fires in the belief that the flames will illuminate his Mary. The townspeople, enraged at the arson that is slowly destroying their village, track down Dan and trap him in a burning cabin. Pegeen rushes to comfort her dying father, who consoles himself at death with the hallucination that his wife has returned in the figure of his daughter. Pegeen is then rescued from the raging fire by Jimmie, who proposes to the waif as he delivers her from the flames.

A schoolteacher in the Yukon promises her hand in marriage to a rich prospector, but instead she marries his no-good brother. After her husband disappears and is reported dead, she marries a rich New York stockbroker, but doesn't tell him about her first marriage. Soon she is contacted by someone who threatens to tell her new husband all about her past if she doesn't pay up.

A maid in the politician's household is bribed to call on the young man late at night, for the purpose of establishing a scandal which he is to be forced to sell his paper in order to hush up. The arrangements, overheard by the daughter, are frustrated by her locking the maid in her closet, and impersonating her herself. The result is comical and satisfying.

Andy is searching for a woman whose photo he found in an envelope with the challenge "Find me." Meanwhile, J.D.P. Moore and his daughter, Ruth, are also at Miramar Beach. Ruth is looking for a heroic husband, and her father tries to make the Count Raphio seem heroic by staging an attack on her that the Count is supposed to stop. However, the Count's plan fails, and Andy ends up rescuing Ruth from the attack, recognizing her as the woman from the photo.

A woman detained in Germany attempts to escape so she can reunite with her American lover.

A power company floods a sleepy Tennessee Valley for a dam to run a hydraulic power plant. Garry, a Northern engineer on the project, falls in love with Caroline, Colonel Bradford's adopted daughter.

Insurance adjuster John Smith leaves for a nearby town to adjust a loss. He tells Mrs. Smith that he will be home in a few days. Traveling salesman John Smith leaves for a short business trip. He also tells Mrs. Smith to expect him in a few days. Salesman John wires his wife that he will be held up until the next day. Adjuster John Smith wires his wife that he will be home on the midnight express and to have lunch ready for him. The messages get crossed and many comical misunderstandings results until all is happily resolved.

Roy Norman and Marie Thompson are betrothed. However, a friend of Roy's, Allan Boyd, arrives and he and Marie are mutually attracted to each other. This attraction leads Marie to return the engagement ring to Roy. One evening, Marie pretends to have a headache to stay home from the opera with her parents, dismissing her maid, expecting a visit from Allan. Instead, Roy arrives, sees Marie with Boyd, and discovers their relationship. Later, Allan's brother, Dr. Boyd, informs Roy that Marie has been in an eastern hospital and has given birth to a baby. He shares a statement from Marie naming the father. A year later, Allan marries, having seemingly forgotten Marie.

Discovering the day before her marriage that her fiancé is already married Violet Day has a breakdown. To recover her physician, Dr. King advises her to spend several months in the mountains. After some time there she meets young mountaineer Tom Sexton. The couple are smitten both thinking the other is a native of the area. Tom had also been sent to the region by Dr. King and when the doctor arrives for a vacation the pair both swear him to secrecy, much to his amusement.