Differing considerably from Henrik Ibsen's classic play, the basic story of a woman who forges her father's name and comes to grief therefore is retained.

Larry and Barbara, both the products of rich but broken homes, plan a marriage of convenience. He really loves Marcia, a dancer, and Barbara vamps Keith, an architect. Keith's good sense prevails, and he marries Marcia and helps Larry make a man of himself. Barbara, after an unsuccessful attempt at an acting career, returns and asks forgiveness.

When governess Thelma Miller falls in love with her employer's brother, Norris Townsend, they have a brief affair. Soon after, Thelma discovers that she is pregnant and demands that Norris marry her so that their child can have a name. Norris' wealthy family objects to the marriage on the grounds of social equality, but Thelma forces the union at gunpoint. After the ceremony, Thelma leaves her husband and seeks employment in a country town. Years pass as Norris searches for his wife and son.

Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.

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.