Owing a twenty-year jail sentence to Dr. Burnell, Morgan returns after serving his term to find his son has been adopted by the Burnells. Dick is engaged to Virginia Denton, and to keep his secret from her he permits Morgan to make him his accomplice in a series of robberies. They are caught in the Denton home by Virginia, herself, who is heartbroken to discover that her fiancé is a thief, but the discovery leads to a fresh complication and extrication from a seemingly impossible situation.

Wealthy Wall Street broker Thomas Maughm finally decides to divorce his spendthrift and reckless wife, and dictates a letter to that affect to his stenographer, Mary Moreland. While dictating the letter, he realizes that he is actually in love with Mary; when he tells her this, she confesses that she loves him, also, The pair make plans to meet in Boston later that night, but before Mary leaves, Maughm's wife confronts her and tells Mary that she still loves her husband. Ashamed, Mary convinces Maughm to go back to his wife. Complications ensue.

Farmer Leo Bannister is obsessed with his neighbor Auriole Praed, but she finds him too strong. She travels to Paris and marries a young painter, but Bannister plots to use an actress to win her back.

Young society rake Gerard Buckland spies a pretty girl walking down the street. As he tries to figure out a way to approach her, he sees a disreputable-looking man surreptitiously hand her a diamond necklace, which she hides on her person before fading into the crowd and disappearing from sight. Later that day he visits a friend's home, and is astounded to meet that same girl. During their conversation she claims that, as a lark, she picks her friends' pockets of valuables and gives them back later--but Gerard doesn't quite buy it. It turns out that she is, in fact, not what she says she is, but not in the way Gerard thinks.

European peasants Albert & Louise are separated by war with Albert only able to return once during the conflict. While he is away the enemy’s captain seizes their home as his headquarters and forces himself on Louise. When the war ends shortly afterwards Albert is overjoyed at the news of a birth of a son but begins to question when he finds that Louise has rejected the child. Forcing a confession from her about her molestation he reacts with vengeance towards the child but Louise realizing the boy is blameless acts to protect him and the three form a family.