In early 19th century England, ambitious and ruthless orphan Rebecca Sharp advances from the position of governess to the heights of British society.

Dr. Hohner, theatre physician at the Vienna Royal Theatre, murders his mistress, the star soprano when his jealousy drives him to the point of mad obsession. Ten years later, another young singer reminds Hohner of the late diva and his old mania kicks in. Hohner wants to prevent her from singing for anyone but him, even if it means silencing her forever.

Canadian Mountie Philip Curtis is telling Josephine McCloud, with whom he is in love, about a hermit who once saved his life and nursed him back to health. Josephine remains impassive until Philip tells her the hermit's name: Peter God. At the mention of his name, Josephine begs Philip to find Peter and take him a letter she had written to him. Puzzled but not wanting to deny anything to the woman he loves, he sets out to find Peter, but when he does he discovers that Josephine has a connection to Peter that Philip knew nothing about.

A $5,000 wager is made between two prominent jewelers, Mr. Thorpe and Mr. Chandler, as to whether their most valuable jewels can be stolen. Thorpe, seeking to stack the odds in his favor, asks Police Commissioner James Stone, a business crony, to enlist the help of Diamond Daisy, a jewel thief who is trying to go straight. Posing as a rich heiress, she asks Mr. Thorpe to accompany her to show her father an expensive item of jewelry. Instead, Mr. Thorpe is detained in an insane asylum by a doctor who has been led to believe that Thorpe is Daisy's insane husband. Daisy absconds with the jewels, but a vindictive detective, who has been following Daisy, thinks the heist is for real and tries to arrest her. Eventually the commissioner intervenes and all ends well.

Bunny receives a shock upon reading about the attempted assassination of the Mayor of New York. He laughs off his wife's suggestion of getting police protection for himself. However, after antagonizing local politicians and receiving a threatening letter, Bunny becomes increasingly fearful.

When the head of a large manufacturing firm dies suddenly from a stroke, his vice-presidents vie to see who will replace him.

The life of Al Roberts, a pianist in a New York nightclub, turns into a nightmare when he decides to hitchhike to Los Angeles to visit his girlfriend.

A young femme fatale realizes that the man she married is an incorrigible wastrel.

A rancher tries to convince an Indian tribe to relocate so their land can be used to provide water for Kansas City.