Civil engineer George Castleman leaves his wife Mildred in the city and goes South to supervise the construction of a railroad. Not one to be alone for long, Mildred quickly begins an affair with the wealthy and dissolute Arnold Morgan, while George becomes friends with Zell, who lives in the mountains. When George tells Zell about his unhappy marriage, she goes to Mildred, hoping to bring about a reconciliation between her and George. Mildred, however, views Zell's relationship with George as the grounds for divorce that she has been trying to find for so long. She and her lawyer follow Zell back to the mountains, but they die in an accident en route. Zell and George then realize that they love each other and make plans for their life together.

A 1917 film directed by Charles Miller.

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.