After watching her mother die gradually from a broken heart, Roberta, an illegitimate child, decides to seek vengeance from her father Bradley, who ran away before she was born. Bradley is wealthy now, and so Roberta secures a job as his secretary and schemes to ruin his financial empire.

Lt. Col. Anstruther vies for the attention of Muriel Mannering with Major Bingham. The latter tricks Anstruther into believing that the girl loves Bingham, when in reality she has refused the major's proposal of marriage. When Anstruther saves Bingham's life during the Boer war, the deceitful major finally tells the truth.

Two playboys stumble drunkenly home, where the owner falls asleep and the other attacks the maid. The butler intervenes and a fight results in the death of the assailant. A French girl, escaping from a pimp who kidnapped her, witnesses the crime. The butler convinces his master he is the killer, and must flee. He joins the girl but is caught. She helps police expose the real killer by going undercover as another maid.

The quiet life style of Ruth Heck and her brother Lem, who belong to a religious sect called the Seekers, is disrupted when a judge imprisons Lem for a crime he did not commit.

Although Kenneth Carmont and Esther Saunders, criminal Bert Saunders' sister, love each other, Esther marries detective Elwood Collins, who agrees to stop pursuing Bert if she accepts his proposal. One night, Kenneth and Esther hide Bert, who has escaped from the police. The same night, Kenneth's father is murdered. The evidence implicates Kenneth, who cannot supply his whereabouts at the time of the crime, as that would give away Bert. Esther cannot clear Kenneth for the same reason, and because it would let her husband know that she was with her former sweetheart.

In New York's Little Italy, Carlotta's life is run by Black Hand leaders who will not let her see her sweetheart Tom. The Black Handers also control the life of prominent Judge Andrews, because years before, after the death of Andrews' daughter, they kidnapped his granddaughter. Only now have they agreed to return her, at a charity ball, for a large ransom.

Hartley, fascinated by the vampish Leonie, steals and serves a term in prison. Not satisfied with this downfall, Leonie again works her womanly charms upon Dr. Gerald, who is engaged to Johanna, the adopted daughter of Dr. McLean. Learning of the woman's designs on the young doctor, Hartley denounces her in Gerald's presence. In response, Gerald foolishly renounces Johanna and his friendship with Dr. McLean. However, when Leonie discovers that Johanna is her own daughter whom she had deserted as a child, she becomes conscience-stricken, gives up the young man and begs forgiveness.

Author Gibbons sitting on the porch with Silas Hawkins says there is a story in everything, but the landlord disagrees. He says there is no story in the passing funeral of Good-for-Nothing Gallagher. Silas Hawkins spins a tale of lost love, bravery and betrayal, and that is the story of the funeral of Gallagher.

Rosealice, a stenographer employed at Thomas Harden's law firm, lives in a fairy world of her own fantasy. The latest "best sellers" are a temptation for her; she cannot resist them even if it means going without lunch. Driving back and forth every day in the same car is Robert Davanel, a math teacher.

David Graham has become so absorbed in his work that he seems to have no time for his wife, Amy, and she has been having fun with Captain Guy Bracebury. Things continue this way for a while, until Dr. Meredith, the Grahams' family doctor, finds out about all this.