Acting
Wealthy young American Carrington O'Connell is traveling Europe with a "social advisor" to become more polished and sophisticated. While stopping at an inn in Switzerland, he is entranced by pretty young Adrienne Le Blanc, whose parents own the inn and in which she entertains travelers. Adrienne falls for him, but his "advisor" warns him against such a socially "unacceptable" relationship, and he reluctantly leaves. Adrienne soon gets a contract with a theatrical agent for appearances at a musical hall in America, where she happens to meet Carrington's wealthy father Michael. Complications ensue.
Dreka Langley leaves her Malay Peninsula home after her alcoholic husband shoots himself. On the way to join her brother in China, she stops, gives birth to a baby, and leaves him with a Chinese family. Dreka meets John Dangerfield and persuades him to leave his wife and daughter. They sink into the depths of the Chinese underworld.
Though loved by many in her Norwegian village home, Thelma herself does not know love until she meets Sir Phillip Errington. They are married and go to London, where she is well received except by Phillip's jealous "friends." Lady Clara and Lennox plot to make Phillip appear to be unfaithful, and Thelma returns to Norway. Phillip, however, pursues her and proves his innocence.
Ellie Byrne and Don Lane, chums, living in the poor section of a factory town, go away to make their fortunes. Ellie wishes to become a lady so that she can marry Preston Dutton, a society chap, and Don becoming infatuated with Stephanie Parrish, daughter of a wealthy man. Ellie becomes a leading actress and Don the author of her first play. Ellie refuses Dutton’s suit when she learns he is after her money, and Stephanie returns Don’s engagement ring. Ellie and Don go back to the factory town disillusioned. They realize that they love each other and in reality had not bettered themselves for someone else but for each other. A lost film.
Twin sisters Fanny and Evelyn Craig are unaware that their stepfather, Micah Parrish, is a fake spiritualist until his lack of money forces them to return home from boarding school. Evelyn eagerly assists Parrish and his even more unscrupulous partner, Esau Brand, while Fanny, disgusted, leaves home to become lawyer Bruce Taunton's secretary.
Habitual unfaithful husband, Jack Freeman begins flirting with the Effie McKenzie, and so breaks up her marriage. Blanche Gordon, a friend of Jack's wife Louise, then comes to see Jack several times in order to plead with him to give up extramarital affairs and accept the responsibilities that go with being a husband.
Mimi, an orphan, is taken in by a drunken innkeeper and becomes a domestic. She meets Rudolphe, scion of a well-to-do family, who rescues her from the unwanted advances of a drunken hotel guest. They fall madly in love, but Rudolphe's uncle, M. Durandin, wants Rudolphe to marry a family friend, Madame de Rouvre, and writes Mimi a letter, telling her that she is ruining Rudolphe's life. Musette and Marcel, friends of Mimi, also try to break up the romance by introducing Mimi to other men, and Rudolphe becomes jealous and leaves her. Brokenhearted, Mimi declines in health and eventually throws herself into the river but is rescued and taken to the hospital. Realizing it is only a matter of time before she dies, she drags herself back to the room where she and Rudolphe were happiest. Rudolphe is there and she dies knowing that he loves her.
Maida Brown, a rich widow, is being visited by wealthy aircraft manufacturer Louis Letchworth at the Brown family estate in Bayport. The family maid notices the pair's affectionate behavior toward each other and, aghast, reports the incident to Maida's father, the head of the local Purity League. The local citizenry is so outraged by this scandalous behavior that they force Maida to leave town. Meanwhile, Harold Brown, her late husband's brother, is aware that the family estate will revert to him if Maida remarries, so he spies on her in order to prove that she and Louis are married, so Harold can get the family fortune for himself.
When Patricia "Patty" Hudson, a struggling New York writer becomes ill, her doctor, advising a restful occupation, arranges for her to be the private secretary to the aged James Winthrop, Sr. The closeness of their resulting relationship disturbs Winthrop's relatives, Mrs. Harrison Tyler and her daughter Sally, who hope to inherit his fortune.
Steel millionaire John Blake buys the auctioned estate of the formerly wealthy Fairchilds to avenge his father, once the Fairchild's gardener, who died after being dismissed because John thrashed Andrew Whipple, a guest who tormented him. When John learns that Fairchild secretly paid for his education, he tries to repay him, but the proud Fairchild refuses. John marries Fairchild's daughter Eleanor, with whom he is infatuated, so that Fairchild can benefit, although Eleanor marries only for the half-million dollars involved. After Whipple returns and pursues Eleanor, John offers her a divorce if she will sign the money over to her father. When Whipple makes her suspect that John loves a young widow, Eleanor writes a note of farewell and leaves, but she is stopped by Whipple, who wanting to elope, embraces her. When John sees this and fights Whipple, Eleanor shields John from a bullet and is wounded. She recovers, and, learning that John loves her, declares her love.
A young woman dutifully marries an older millionaire and then falls in love with a handsome nobleman-- who'd previously saved her life-- on her unhappy honeymoon.
A restless young girl yearns to leave her rural environment and "get away from it all". One day she stumbles upon a film crew shooting a western near her home. She makes friends with the film's leading man, who encourages her to try her luck as an actress. So she leaves her small town and goes to the big city to break into the picture business. However, things don't turn out quite the way she planned.
At a wild surprise party John Hammond signs a note for his struggling friend, architect Richard Burton, but later denies his presence at the affair in order to preserve his reputation.
John Marshall, young engineer, goes to Bullis Valley in the Alabama hills to secure lands for a big power project. The hill folks think he is a revenue spy and plans are laid against his life.
While traveling in Europe Philip Quentin encounters his former sweetheart, Dorothy Garrison, and finds that she is now engaged to Prince Ugo Ravorelli, whom Philip recognizes as the man wanted for a murder in Brazil.
Hale Garrison, a big game hunter returning from safari in Africa, meets Gloria Manner on shipboard and falls in love with her.
Quincy Adams Sawyer is a young attorney who one day meets a girl in the park and is immediately smitten with her.
While traveling in England, American lawyer John Steele falls in love and marries burlesque star Maizie Bell.
Young Herbert Thompson, wanting to attain wealth and social status, marries Ann Morton, who comes from a rich and prominent family, throwing over pretty young Angelina Kilboure, who really loves him. Years later Herbert has become the local District Attorney and has two children, Bert and Virginia. One night Bert, a patron at a seedy roadhouse, defends his sister's honor from a ruffian and winds up killing the man. Angelina persuades Herbert to leave his post as D.A. to defend his son in his murder trial. Herbert wins the case, but it turns out to have unexpected consequences.
A 1917 silent film drama
