Upon his death Jerry Livingstone, a wealthy convict, leaves his son Henry the sole heir of a considerable fortune with the provision of a larger additional sum if he marries Jerry's ward, Winifred Gale.
Rene, condemned to execution for murder in the first degree tells his mother the story of the crime. His sister had been lured from home and abandoned by the villain.
Dirk Morgan, a trusted member of a powerful international criminal gang, receives word that the steamer Empress has left Melbourne with a secret shipment of gold; the letter also contains plans for the ship's hold and cabins.
Young thief Nell Durand is caught picking the pocket of a wealthy young man named Tom Berry. Instead of turning her in, he offers to help her reform, leading to a love story complicated by a greedy lawyer who tries to prevent their marriage.
Mabel Vandergrift moves from the country to the city and enrolls in an upscale college. She starts to hang around with a "fast" crowd, and one night at a party a young man picks her for his "conquest".
Grace and her brother Edwin are living in a modest city apartment when they receive an invitation from their wealthy uncle to live on his Southern California ranch.
Mary Walton finds herself in a dire situation when her first husband falls seriously ill. In a misguided and desperate attempt to secure the resources or help needed to save her ailing husband, she becomes a bigamist by marrying another man.
Tex Benton, riding across the country, sees a turtle, catches a jack rabbit and tests out the old fable of the tortoise and the hare; when the rabbit wins, Tex vows to model his behavior on that style.
An Eastern boy is sent to the West to run the family's sheep ranch. The presence of sheep anger nearby cattlemen, who don't want to share their cattle's grazing lands with them, and their leader has no compunctions about resorting to drastic measures to protect his interests.
Even though the Gommesens have been married for 25 years, they are still in love. They wake up happy on their silver wedding anniversary, but the peaceful atmosphere does not last.
Wealthy cripple Markley finances the education of blacksmith's daughter Ruth. When she returns to their small town he asks to marry her, but she runs off with city worker Jim Dirk who is then killed in a subway accident.