Young Nan was rescued from a shipwreck by a man who becomes her foster father. Years later, when he dies, she moves to a nearby city and unknowingly gets involved with a criminal gang. When the gang attempts and fails to rob wealthy Thomas Carter's home, Nan finally discovers what they are and tells the police all she knows, resulting in the imprisonment of Bad Riley, the gang's leader. Grateful, the Carter family takes Nan into their home, to replace a young daughter who had drowned years before, and the young son, Rev. Robert Carter, begins a romance with her. However, the jailed Riley soon escapes and comes after Nan.

During World War I, Francine D'Espard, a young French woman, meets William Holliday, a U.S. Army officer at the front, and they become engaged. Returning to America, William finds his father at the mercy of his business rival, Ezekiel Bates. Shortly after, when Francine arrives in America to marry her fiancé, she is informed that her lover is about to marry Bates's daughter Susan. Her love now turning to hate, Francine devotes herself to the task of destroying her former suitor.

Young Kendall struggles for acceptance in the eyes of his wealthy father, who sees him only as a layabout.

When Josiah Whitcomb's son gets into trouble with bad companions in New York City, Josiah leaves the farm and goes into the city to find the boy. There he finds that his country ways are not at all respected in the sophisticated city.

Freckles, a one-armed orphan tired of being tormented by others runs away eventually finding a place as a watchman in the timber camp, The Limberlost. He falls in love with Angel but feeling unworthy of her keeps his feelings silent until a near catastrophic incident reveals the bond between them.

When a rich stranger drives his automobile into a backward mountain village, he sweeps a young girl off her feet with his attentions. This infuriates the local schoolteacher, who's been in love with her for some time. Eventually the stranger lures the girl into running away with him, and the teacher must act quickly to make sure it doesn't happen.

A group of New York society folk on a yachting excursion are forced to put into a New England fishing village for repairs. The engaged couple Reggie and Patricia are taken with the quaint town and its quainter ways, but also with two locals, Betty Alden and her brother John. Patricia begins to fall for John while her fiancé takes a seemingly unworthy liking to Betty. The new infatuations lead to disharmony.

The story of British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli and the purchase by England of the Suez Canal.

Young Janet Osborn finds herself stuck in a loveless marriage, her only source of pleasure being her daughter. Janet has always dreamed of a career on the stage, but never had the chance. One day she meets Geoffrey Allen, a theatrical agent, and decides to try her luck at becoming an actress. However, when her husband Mark finds out, he orders her out of the house and keeps their daughter, Marcia. Moreover, her acting career sputters to a halt, and Geoffrey Allen takes advantage of her situation to make her his mistress. Years later she finds out that Marcia has become an actress--and that she, too, has become involved with Geoffrey.

Harry Caton, a popular New York musical-comedy star, loses his voice on stage and then journeys to a small town on the New England coast to recuperate. Here Harry meets the beautiful Nancy Potter when he defends her against the drunken advances of Silas Jones, her father's friend. Although his daughter believes that he is a fisherman, Cail Potter is actually a thief, robbing houses along the coast with Silas as his accomplice. When Cail robs the wealthy Col. Brett's home, he finds an old miniature of a woman who exactly resembles Nancy, whom Cail rescued from a wrecked boat when she was just a year old. Soon after the robbery, Harry learns that the police are about to raid Cail's house, but Silas knocks him unconscious when he attempts to warn Nancy.