Acting
Robert Ware takes it upon himself to tame wild girl, Mag, to prove to his doubting friend Arnold, he can turn her into a graceful young lady. Later, when Arnold is in the war, he meets a pretty nurse who greatly impresses him. Back home he recalls the pleasant encounter to Robert, telling him of the gentle beauty he never forgot. Mag, now Margaret, overhears the story and reveals to Arnold, she was the nurse. The surprised Arnold now has to admit that Robert was right about gentling the little wild cat.
Against the wishes of Doctor Neighbor, the guardian who also loves her, Hazel, who is due to inherit a fortune when she turns 21, marries district attorney Hamilton Rogers, a man more devoted to Hazel's future bank account than to her.
After his mining partner Joe Pelton's death, wealthy bachelor Richard Chester adopts Joe's five young children and takes them East by train. The children are hellions upsetting the calm of the Pullman car en route to New York City, and his home upon arrival. Richard enrolls them all in school except for the youngest. His frosty society fiancée Ethel McVae refuses to have anything to do with the children. After seeing how Richard interacts with his stenographer Sally Lockwood when she helps him nurse the youngest child through a night's illness Ethel breaks the engagement. Richard declares his love for Sally, and they join to raise a family.
Joe Regan, a kindly traffic cop, comes home with presents for Jerry Murphy, his young ward, and discovers that the boy has been hit by a car. The doctors advise a sea cure, and Joe takes Jerry to a seaside resort, where they meet Alicia Davidson.
Augustus Billings has a domineering mother-in-law, and to get away from both her and his wife, he takes a trip, claiming that he is going off to check on Mexican oil investments. But he's really going on a cruise with Mrs. Dathis, who has purchased his yacht. To throw everyone off track, he uses the name Mr. Johnson. When he decides to repeat the trip, however, all hell breaks loose -- the jealous Mr. Dathis is out to get his hands on this Johnson character, while a real Mr. Johnson shows up in Mexico, and Mrs. Billings shows up with her mother, and the confusion continues from there.
Wealthy Anne Wilmot vacationing along with her aunt Katherine at her fiancé Leon Morse's (Hull) Arizona mountain lodge discovers his plot to destroy a nearby hydroelectric engineering project in order to obtain the land for his railway. She thwarts the sabotage but find herself in a life and death struggle.
While traveling through India with her Aunt Eva, Arlee Eversham meets Billy Hill, an American, and Captain Falconer, a British officer, both of whom fall in love with her. Curiosity leads Arlee to accept an invitation from the Rajah of the province to visit his palace. Aunt Eva receives a letter of invitation intended for her niece and, thinking that it is for herself, goes to the palace. Once there, both women are held prisoners, destined to become members of the Rajah's harem, until Arlee manages to send word to Billy of her predicament. Accompanied by Captain Falconer, Billy leads a successful rescue in which he saves Arlee, and the Captain discovers, much to his consternation, that he has rescued Aunt Eva.
The story to this comedy-drama is based on the book by Emerson Hough, who was experiencing a surge of popularity because his book The Covered Wagon had recently been made into a hit film. Ranchman Colonel Wright sends his daughter Bonnie to an Eastern college to receive an education. She decides to stay in the city and sends for her father, who arrives with his foreman Curly. Even though they live in the midst of society, they are snubbed by the Easterners as uncouth.
A small-town politician is elected to congress. As he fights for his constituents' rights, his plain-Jane wife sits quietly at home. Only when Billy Bladerson seems to be on the verge of succumbing to the charms of adventuress Myrtle Marshall (actually in the employ of his political rivals) does Adele take a crash course in social graces-and cosmetics.
After the death of her benefactress, Mrs. Beresford, Alice Lambert is evicted by Ruth, Mrs. Beresford's jealous niece; and in despair Alice seeks employment as a model. Her refusal to accept the attentions of Monsieur Armand ends in her dismissal
Planning on sailing his schooner, the Laughing Lass, to his ancestors' treasure island in the South Seas, veteran seaman Obadiah Wolf makes his last payment on the vessel to Ellory Glendenning, a crook who hopes to cheat the old man out of the boat and then sell it to the government at an outrageous price. Learning that Obadiah has a treasure map tattooed on his chest, a pirate called "Bad-Eye" forces the old buccaneer to accompany him to the island. Meanwhile, Ellory and his son Harold seize the Laughing Lass, ordering Rory O'Malley, who is loved by Obadiah's granddaughter Patricia, to sail it to the South Seas so that Harold may evade the draft.
On her wedding day, Norma Huntley wants to tell Edward Berkley, her husband-to-be, her secret -- that she mothered a child out of wedlock which subsequently died. Her mother forbids her to reveal this. Only moments after the ceremony, it is discovered that the child, now three, is actually alive. Berkley, incensed at this turn of events, agrees to adopt the child and remain married for appearance's sake -- but when he finds the father, he will kill him.
Illiterate Blue Ridge Mountain girl Madge Brierly falls in love with vacationing Blue Grass aristocrat Frank Layson, when he stops Horace Holten from defrauding her of her coal-rich lands. For revenge, Holten tells moonshiner Joe Lorey, who loves Madge, that Frank is a revenue officer. After Madge rescues Frank from Joe's attack, they go to Frank's home, where he teaches her reading and writing, and she rescues his racehorse, Queen Bess, from a fire set by Holten. Because Frank has nearly all of his family's money riding on the big Kentucky race, Holten gets Frank's jockey drunk. Madge, discovering this, disguises herself and rides Queen Bess to victory. She leaves for home unnoticed, and comes across the Night Riders chasing Lorey. After she persuades them that Holten killed her father years earlier, and was responsible for Lorey's attack, they chase Holten who falls from a mountain and dies. Years later, Madge's and Frank's children play at feuding.
A young woman spurns her too conventional fiancé and flees to an artists' colony.
After a prologue that takes place in Hell, young millionaire Mason Van Horton becomes involved with Doria, the vampish wife of influential businessman John Manners. When Mason falls in love with Beverly Hope, however, he rejects Doria, who, out of revenge, tells John that Mason tried to seduce her and then begs her husband to ruin him.
When a hypnotist named Norman Osgood mesmerizes a man named Harrison Kirke without his consent, Kirke threatens to kill him. Afraid for his life, Osgood hypnotizes another man named George Clayton and tells him he must murder Mr. Kirke one hour before the arrival of the dawn. Kirke is found murdered the next day, and Clayton starts to believe he was the murderer.
Austin Bevans, a lively car-salesman, suddenly finds himself heir to the Bevans School for Girls. Since Austin feels that acquiring grace and charm are more important to a young girl than acquiring knowledge, academic courses are dropped, and a charm school emerges. He submits to the charms of Elsie, a student at the school, whose grandfather takes him into his employ after a newly discovered will dispossesses him of the school. Elsie resents Austin for accepting a job with those who formerly thought him undesirable, but later she relents and takes him back.
A wealthy young criminologist Marcel Leviget is seen forcibly dragging his fellow clubman Dr. Rogers into a House of Ill Repute. In one of the back bedrooms of the bawdy house, an old friend of Marcel's, a prominent attorney, lies near death. Dr. Rogers is also acquainted with the dying attorney, and while Marcel's back is turned, Rogers discovers a distinctively designed hatpin embedded in the patient's heart.
Soon after wealthy idler Jack Merrill is convinced by his doctor to get involved in some activity to fight off his ennui, he discovers that his valet Thompson has been masquerading as Lord Sidney at the home of Mrs. Parkin. Jack goes to a reception there in the guise of a British earl and discovers that most of the guests are also fakes.
The story of St. Gabriel, who was killed by an ignorant mob for making a nude statue representing Purity, who is also represented by a ghostly naked girl that flits through the film.
