A society girl goes to live in the woods with her evil uncle and his wicked housekeeper.

A society lady lives to cause conflict to all those around her.

Clemmy Dawson, the daughter of a sea captain, lives in a small fishing village, where, in the summer season, she meets Jack Avery, who is visiting a nearby resort. When Clemmy is later attacked by Sam Johnson, her father (who does not know the identity of the man who sought to force his attentions on Clemmy) vows that he will force the responsible man to marry her. Clemmy names Avery, and her father proceeds to make plans for a wedding. In the meantime, Clemmy discovers that Avery already has a fiancée and, with a change of heart, she runs off, taking refuge on Lover's Island. She makes plans to marry the villainous Sam, but Avery, realizing that he has come to love her, goes to Lover's Island, stops the wedding, and marries Clemmy himself.

Amy Benham, known as "West Wind," daughter of John Benham, a ranch owner, is abducted by Girot, a cowboy, and her father is killed. Kennard, a young Army Captain, in love with Amy, and Sullivan, the ranch foreman, head a searching party, but Girot dares the rapids of White River in a canoe and brings the girl to the Sioux encampment. She is aided by Mahwissa, an Indian squaw, to escape and hide in a cave, where Sullivan finds them. After a confrontation between her saviors and the villains all is resolved happily.

Financier Mark Harrold is responsible for the financial ruin and subsequent suicide of Stanton. Following his death, Stanton's daughter Margaret, seeking revenge, goes to work for Harrold's beloved daughter Helen. The latter plans to marry the dashing Lord Strathmore and thus attain her social ambitions, but Margaret, to avenge her father's death, wins Strathmore away from her by deception. After their marriage, Margaret leaves Strathmore, claiming that she never loved him. With the birth of their child, Margaret becomes ill and blind, but Strathmore finds her and gives her money under an assumed identity. Following an operation that restores her sight, Margaret recognizes her husband as her benefactor and realizes that she loves him.

Lenora, caught in Spanish-Dutch conflict, becomes a spy, initially against the Dutch for her Spanish lover Ramón, but after his death, switches allegiance, helps the Dutch capture a fortress, and is reunited with her beloved Mark, a Dutch commander, realizing the justness of their cause and finding love.

A faithless K.C.'s wife elopes with his opponent in a slum murder trial.

After being captured by T-Man Jack Blaisdell and sentenced to 20 years of hard labor on a counterfeiting rap, Tiger McGuire is sprung from jail by his old gang. Vowing to get even with Jack, Tiger kidnaps the young man's fiancée, Helen (Holmes), bringing the girl to his hideout, a fancy yacht owned by Lucy Carlisle.

Impersonating Little Eva in a third-rate travelling production of Uncle Tom's Cabin fails to earn Nora enough for a square daily meal, and to make thing worse, her stage career comes to a sudden end when the sheriff arrives with a writ of seizure. Nora hops a passing freight but is frightened by a tramp, jumps off, and literally rolls into the town of Wattelville. After being arrested as a suspicious character, Nora is adopted by the kindly Ma Forbes, whose son James works in the local bank. "Pug" Hennessy and "Soup" McCool, two crooks, inveigle the scrupulously honest James into a poker game and, as a result, he is forced to steal $300 from the bank to cover his losses. Impersonating expert safe-cracker Velvet Mary, Nora helps the crooks to break into the bank, but upon opening the safe, she sounds the alarm, and the crooks are arrested. Having learned his lesson, James proposes to Nora, who never again is forced to go hungry.

After a whirlwind romance Marion Phillips and Richard Flint marry impulsively without Richard realizing Marion is wealthy. Marion insists upon living in lavish style, but Richard, embittered by the cutting remarks made by his wife's snobbish friends leaves to seek his fortune in the mines. Marion follows but is soon bored. Persuaded by James Cardwell she goes back to her glamorous friends in the city before Richard strikes it rich. Determined to have his revenge upon Cardwell, Richard returns to New York crushing Cardwell on Wall Street but obliterating his wife's wealth in the process. The barrier that existed between them thus resolved; the lovers are reconciled.

Olive Muir, a haughty society girl, objects when Alice Prentice, a girl of lower station, comes to visit her family. After Alice's drunken father comes to visit the Muir home, Olive learns to her horror that she is adopted and that Prentice is her real father.

Mary and John Rand marry right after graduating law school, but John chooses to join the ministry. After the birth of their daughter, Henrietta, and unhappy in that life, Mary persuades John to consent to a divorce. She resumes practicing law and with the help of Bruce Corbin is eventually elected Attorney General, becoming romantically involved with him as well. Meanwhile, Henrietta grows up neglected and enters a free life of jazz and drinking. She catches Corbin’s eye and he falls for her. What follows is a tale of murder, revenge and redemption.