Milton Sills

Alice Lake

Gertrude Claire

Richard Headrick

Ralph Lewis

The rehabilitation of "Chicago Sal," a lady crook, is seemingly realized when probation officers send her to the country home of Steve MacLaren to work off money stolen from him by her partner. She falls in love with MacLaren and is accepted as a member of the household. Unable to resist the temptation, however, she leaves the farm with two former colleagues when they come to visit her. MacLaren follows her to the city. She commits a crime; he helps her escape but is himself arrested for vagrancy and sent to jail. Sal returns to the country and promises to wait for him.

Quarrier's rival Robert Lester schemes to have the engineer imprisoned, but the government pardons him so he can oversee a project vital to the country's growth. On the job, Quarrier once again meets Lester, who has tricked Alberta Bradley into selling him the land which is to be used for the project. Alberta still feels as if the land is her own, and threatens to kill the first of Quarrier's workers to swing a pick into it. Quarrier himself begins digging, and while she is unable to kill him, she vows to hate him forever. Gradually, their relationship softens, and the two come to love each other, with Alberta acknowledging the worth of Quarrier's project. Then, working together, they expose Lester to government authorities, since he has been plotting to keep all of the project's profits for himself.

Two apprentice violin makers are in love with the same girl, who happens to be the daughter of their mentor. A violin competition is scheduled, with the winner being the one who will marry the girl.

A prosperous small-town peddler accedes to his family's wish to move from their secure existence to the uncertainty of New York City. It proves fruitless and eventually his kin sees the error of their ways and return to their true home.

Emmy Milburn must decide. Should she go back to the life she had dared so much to lose, or should she pay the price and live in luxury?

Mary Keene is placed in John Ingalls' office to help carry out a plot to steal his money by placing a fake sister in his home. Mary, however, falls in love with Ingalls, foiling the scheme.

Self-made millionaire, Mason Van Horton embodies the sin of pride after being instilled with it by the Devil. The Devil creates two mortals, a man and a woman, and sends them into the world. The man, Van Horton, is given pride, which the Devil believes will lead to his downfall. The woman, lacking specific attributes, is sent to follow Van Horton, with the Devil anticipating her influence on his downward spiral.

A prospector named Rodin is blackmailed for years by Estrella, who tricks him into believing he murdered her missing husband. After meeting Alice, Rodin traps Estrella in a secret room and disposes of her trunk, leading to charges of her murder. He's acquitted on a technicality when her body isn't found. Alice admits she believes he's guilty, and Rodin, releasing her, commits suicide in his library.

George Woods is leading a happy and contented life with his wife and little daughter in the small town of Milford when millionaire Cyrus Morton from New York offers to make him his chauffeur. George accepts and goes to the city where he finds everyone preoccupied with the pursuit of wealth. The fever enters his blood, and upon finding Morton's lost wallet, George takes the money and plunges into the stock market. His investment is successful, and from then on he becomes obsessed with money, forgetting his wife and child in his vain pursuit. But even with the vast wealth he accumulates, George finds that he is unhappy. Through his wife Mary's efforts, he finally realizes that true happiness cannot be found in the accumulation of riches, but lies in simpler pleasures.