After the death of her father, a young girl goes to live with her uncle in Kentucky. She immediately comes into conflict with her uncle's shrewish wife.

Two Southern clans, the Lynches and the Summers, have been at odds with each other since long before Civil War times. But that hasn't stopped Jere Lynch and Betty Summers from falling in love.

Margaret Jarnette discovers that her husband Victor has been cheating on her and confronts him. Outraged, Victor has his lawyer rewrite his will so that in the event of his death, his brother Richard will get custody of his daughter Muriel, and his wife won't. When Victor dies shortly afterward, Richard suspects that Margaret had murdered him and takes custody of Muriel. However, he soon begins to suspect that things may not be quite as cut-and-dried as he thought they were.

Innocent country boy Tom Logan is taken in by the scheming Barbara Kay, a city woman who knows Tom is set to inherit his fathers farm which sits on a rich coal field. Toms father sees through her plot and disinherits him when her marries Barbara. When Barbara tires of farm life, the ensuing events lead to death and misplaced guilt.

The story of Edgar Pomeroy, the first in a series, in which the boy Edgar imagines himself the triumphant master of his fate, revenging himself on a scornful young female classmate. But then the real events are seen in contrast with the ones Edgar has created in his mind.

Edgar and his schoolmates put on a production of Shakespeare's Hamlet such as the townsfolk have never seen.

On the way to Sunday school, Edgar meets the lady of his heart--and his hated rival. The Sunday-school lesson on David and Goliath so intrigues Edgar that he sees himself as David, saving the entire school, sweetheart and rival included, from Goliath's sword. Edgar's answer to the teacher's question proves his straying thoughts. As a result he is placed on the platform, where he sees himself descending to the "lower regions" as the "worst boy in the school." Edgar's Sunday adventures end with him at peace with the world, after two helpings of pie.

Edgar delivers a cake to his sister's ill friend. The cake arrives safely, but not sound, and Edgar is taken to task for his careless handling of the article.

Edgar is called upon by his mother to execute a disagreeable errand, has to mind his troublesome younger brother, and runs away.

Dearie Lane refuses to marry Fred Millard, whom she loves, because of her previous affair with roué Mark Winfield. When she confesses, Fred forgives her, and they marry and live happily in a modest home until the owner, who turns out to be Winfield, comes to collect a delinquent payment and suddenly dies. Dearie, afraid that the absent Fred will misunderstand, hides the body with the help of a boarder and a cook until midnight when they carry it down the stairs to the countryside, but the creaking of the steps is heard by Fred.