Poor, decent young woman Lory (Percy) avoids moral pratfalls after she is employed by a rich family. She falls in love with the son (Harlan) but the couple is separated by his cruel, class-conscious mother. Lory stays true to her spirit and does not compromise her integrity when the mother attempts to pay her off. Later, a tragedy might open the door the broken hearted young woman to find happiness.
To please her once wealthy mother, Amy Terrell fraternizes with members of high society who find her entertaining because of her beauty and charm. At one of Mrs. Van Trant's house parties, Amy is requested by her hostess to amuse Andrew Masters, an influential businessman who has an aversion to society women. Impersonating an old-fashioned girl, Amy wins Masters until he learns of her deception and denounces her.
Fishermaid Marcia Manot finds an emerald which once belonged to a Norse queen and is cursed. Greedy American Silas Martin marries her, then sets her up for divorce. She kills him and weds his business manager Sterling, but a detective learns about Silas' death.
Sato (Sessue Hayakawa) faithfully works for importer James Thornton (James Neill). When the old man dies, he leaves his daughter Mildred (Vivian Martin) in Sato's care. Sato loves the girl, but as he is Japanese he cannot hope to ever marry her (at least not in the racially prejudiced era of the early 1900s). Besides, Mildred loves Harry Maxwell (Tom Forman), who was raised alongside her.
When her stepmother attempts to marry her off for the family's financial gain, sensitive and beautiful Edna takes drastic measures, disfiguring herself. The scarred woman falls in love with handsome author Marcus Auriel, but soon learns that her shallow stepsister Dorothy is a rival for his affection.
