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When his father is killed in a train wreck, Larry Baker vows to unmask a mysterious criminal called "The Wrecker," who has targeted the L&M Railroad for deadly" accidents."

The Eagle uses sky writing to make threats against a corporation. Nathan Gregory owns a traveling fairground and is thought to be the Eagle. Craig McCoy is a pilot who goes looking for the Eagle when Gregory turns up missing.

Loath to leave her pet dog in the baggage car, the wealthy Norah McDonald dresses the animal in baby clothes and carries him into the Pullman coach. There she meets millionaire philanthropist Paul Howell, who remarks that she seems rather young to be married. When Norah responds that she is unwed, Paul assumes that she has been betrayed and sympathetically offers her a position in his charity organization. Attracted to Paul, Norah accepts the job, but she disapproves of his bureaucratic methods and soon establishes a rival organization based less on efficiency than on charity. Norah's success and a few glaring failures of his own finally convince Paul that red tape and philanthropy don't mix, and after he learns that her "baby" is a Pekinese, the two become engaged.

Unconventional Olive Barton shocks her aunt when she stages a boxing match during a tea for the new minister. When Olive's father is called West to attend to some mining interests, Olive sneaks into his private car and accompanies him. Arriving in the West, they meet Leonard Hewitt, a young mining engineer, and his partner "Highball" Hazelitt. Even though Olive mistakes them for bandits, she falls in love with Leonard. Olive turns the saloon into a successful gymnasium, manages to foil a conspiracy against her father's mine, and wins the love of Leonard.

The story opens with an allegorical prologue, which presents various personified vices, including ambition and greed, then moves into the following drama: Arnold Gray, a fighter against child labor and other social ills, comes under the influence of Rhoda Lewis, an ambitious clubwoman who helps him win the gubernatorial nomination. Arnold meets and falls in love with Jane Morton, a respected writer, and they soon marry. All goes well until Jane becomes pregnant. Hard at work on a child-labor bill and winning the governorship, Arnold feels that a baby would be an encumbrance to his career. Jane is at first elated by her pregnancy, but Rhoda and Arnold gradually talk her out of having the baby. Because she suffers acute depression, Jane visits Dr. Brainard and confesses her troubles. Arnold is elected governor, but because Jane dies soon afterward, he no longer cares about living. After dreaming of his unborn son, Arnold awakens to find his wife beside him, joyful that his ordeal has been only a nightmare.

Wealthy banker John Sevier is engaged to Elaine Morier, who runs an upscale gambling club with her father Gerald. One night at the club John stops a fight between club employee Jim Hammond and a wealthy young customer named Tom Leonard. He takes Leonard home and meets his sister Marion. The next day he discovers that his banking partner, Jim Collins, has made too many bad investments with the bank's money and the institution is in danger of going under. John promises to use his own money to save the bank, but Elaine, outraged, breaks off their engagement. However, Marion and Tom congratulate him on his courage in putting up his own money to save the bank. Elaine and her father--who were scheming to take John for his money all along--realize that they made a mistake and try to get the two back together again. Complications ensue.

For advice on making money, down-on-her-luck Margery Smith visits Franklyn Smith, a lawyer who, although he appears prosperous, is equally hard-pressed for funds. Franklyn is struck by Margery's beauty and devises a plan whereby her services as a chaperoned partner at dances and teas may be purchased; however, because he believes her brainless, he forbids her to speak with the customers. The "Beauty to Let" corporation is a success, and soon two millionaires, Henry P. Rockwell and "Diamond Tim" Moody, ask to marry Margery. She has fallen in love with Franklyn and is distressed to learn that he has purchased bachelor's quarters from Tim. Diamond Tim forged the deed to the house, but when Margery sneaks into his room to retrieve Franklyn's money, her partner sees her and misconstrues her intentions. In the end, Margery and Franklyn outwit Tim, and Franklyn, realizing that his partner is bright as well as beautiful, proposes.

A professor's daughter craves excitement and sends her father on a treasure hunt. The captain leaves him to die on the island and returns for his possessions and the girl. Dick saves her father from the island and comes to her rescue.

Leila Mead, a stenographer, loses her job because she has a talent for forging handwriting. Broke, she tries to get some money together by forging a letter stating she is the illegitimate daughter of a famous millionaire, Gilbert Ellis. Ellis gives her a job as his personal stenographer at his home. Soon afterward she discovers that Horton, the butler, is planning to rob Ellis' safe..

Sylvia is the niece of a man who leaves a fortune for her. He leaves it in the hands of his attorney, who is supporting an aspiring wife and daughter. Sylvia goes to the lawyer's home and is looked upon as an intruder. The lawyer's son sets out on a road of dissipation and soon becomes a devotee of gay life. He is saved just in time by the gentle influence of Sylvia and, upon discovering that his father is using all of the girl's fortune, he makes him give her the money. The family is horror-stricken at the thought of losing their fortune. They ask Sylvia's forgiveness for their treatment of her and she insists upon sharing her fortune with them. She also tells Arnold, the son, that his love is reciprocated.

Rhoda Eldridge lives in the Paris Latin Quarter, learns at the death of her father Charles that her real name is Sayles and that she has an uncle somewhere in America. She travels to the States as a nursemaid but is discharged soon after her arrival. In the park, she finds an envelope containing a letter to Rosy Taylor from a Mrs. Du Vivier, along with a key, $2, and instructions to clean the Du Vivier mansion each week. When the penniless Rhoda learns that Rosy is dead, she cleans the home herself, and all is well until Jacques Le Clerc, Mrs. Du Vivier's brother, mistakes her for a thief and sends her to a reformatory. Rhoda, however, escapes and returns to the house. Upon discovering that Rosy has been dead for weeks, Jacques and his sister catch the mysterious housekeeper once again. Through the efforts of Jacques, who has fallen in love with her, Rhoda is united with her rich uncle, and to demonstrate her gratitude, she accepts the young man's marriage proposal.

Ashby Leene, once a famous actor, but now poverty stricken, dies, leaving his grandchild, Lizette, in the care of Granny Page, his landlady. Lizette's new home is one of kindliness and she becomes a friend of Paul, Granny's young nephew, who runs a newsstand. Remembering her promise, Granny spends a good deal of time at the newsstand when Paul is away on deliveries. She resents Dan Nye's attention to Lizette. One day Lizette sells a paper to Henry Faure, an elderly millionaire, who is attracted to the bright-faced girl. Faure has been mentally depressed since the death of his wife and little girl. Longing for someone to love, Faure offers to adopt Lizette as his own daughter. Though Paul and Granny are heartbroken, they consent. For a time Lizette is happy in her new home. While Faure is away on business, Lizette visits her old friends. Faure unexpectedly returns. To his dismay Lizette begs that he let her stay a while longer with Granny. He reluctantly consents. His old depression returns. The housekeeper finally writes Lizette, begging her to return for Faure's sake. Lizette finds an abandoned infant on the doorstep upon her return. She is overjoyed. She is admitted by the butler, who is aghast to see that she has returned with a baby. When questioned, she tells them that she is the baby's mother, etc. Faure asks her about the child's father. Lizette innocently answers that she don't know. She realizes in a vague way that babies have fathers and, seeing that everyone is greatly upset, she decides that if the baby must have a father she will give Dan Nye the honor of naming him. Faure loves her so much that he cannot find it in his heart to denounce her. Nor can the kind old housekeeper, who is highly amused at Lizette's lack of knowledge about babies. Dan Nye is amazed when Faure calls to see him and charges him with being the father of Lizette's baby. He conceals his astonishment, quick to realize that he has an unusual opportunity for blackmail in the affair. When Faure declares he must marry Lizette for the sake of her good name, Nye admits he is the baby's father, but refuses to marry the girl unless Faure pays him an exorbitant sum. Faure agrees to this, upon the condition that he accompany him and marry Lizette at once. The young woman who abandoned the child calls to reclaim it, but Lizette is unwilling to give it up. But she is finally induced to give it back to the rightful mother. Nye is thrown out of the house, and Paul, who has long cherished a love for Lizette, is made happy by her acceptance of him.

Roberta Lee, who is concerned with reforming ex-convicts, convinces her wealthy father to hire ex-robber "Slippery" Bill Dorgan as a gardener in their home. Bill tries at first to reform himself, but soon yields to temptation and steals Roberta's jewels. To avoid publicity, Roberta takes a trip to the country, where she meets Richard Van Stone who, under an assumed identity, is conducting business for her father. Taken with Roberta, Richard unwittingly buys Roberta's own brooch from Slippery Bill, presents it to her, and is arrested for the robbery. When Roberta is kidnapped, Bill rescues her and returns the jewels, after which she drops the robbery charges and marries Richard.

Ann Dickson's newly wealthy parents become obsessed with breaking into society, but the young misfit is more interested in studying modern slang and wearing outrageous outfits. She tolerates but does not love "Freddie" Pierson, the useless young playboy her parents have selected for her. On a downtown jaunt, Ann slightly injures a newsboy in a car accident and in this way meets policeman Carey Phelan. She invites him on an outing she has organized for the boy and his pals, and the two fall in love. Ann's parents follow her to the picnic, and after a series of misunderstandings, everyone winds up in jail. Carey reveals to Ann that he is actually a millionaire's son who, tired of wasting his life, had joined the police force. The chief of police, an old friend of the Phelan family, holds the outraged parents in custody while Ann and Carey sneak away to get married.

Julia Deep works at the exchange desk of Timothy Black's department store by day, but her evenings are spent in the library of Terry Hartridge, a fellow resident in Mrs. Turner's boardinghouse. Terry has never seen Julia, since he is too busy squandering his inheritance on easy living and showgirl Lottie Driscoll, but the two meet when Terry, having learned that he has spent his last cent, enters the room with a gun. Julia prevents him from shooting himself and they become fast friends. Black gives Terry a job, and the young man adopts a renewed and more sober interest in life. Lottie later reappears but Terry convinces Julia that the actress means nothing to him, and the young couple pool their resources and settle down.

A cowboy matches the description of the man who robbed the local hotel--both are 6'4. When a young woman is robbed, suspicion falls on the cowboy again. However, he discovers that the actual culprits are a local gang headed by the sheriff. He sets out to capture the robbers and clear his name.

When the unruly drinking party at "Big Bill" Darcey's hunting lodge runs out of liquor, they move to the lodge of Darcey's agent, Enoch Foyle, and finding attractive Nora Farnes waiting alone, harass her. Bill, who previously was interested only in pleasure, with his consumptive friend Sammy Goode, protects Nora, who, armed with a revolver, intends to confront Foyle for swindling her mother. When Foyle returns, Nora wounds him slightly. Bill brings her to his lodge for the night, and falling in love, convinces her to marry him to protect her name. As he is preparing to leave on his honeymoon, Bill learns that Foyle fleeced him of his fortune. Finding Nora at Foyle's lodge, he loses faith in her, and leaves with Sammy for the desert because of Sammy's illness. Lost and exhausted, Sammy makes a dying request that Bill return and listen to Nora's explanation. After Bill's rescue, he finds Nora dining with Foyle, but upon learning that she has hidden detectives to overhear Foyle's confession, Bill is reconciled with Nora, and they finish the dinner.

When Geoffrey Challoner sees his new wife Robin reading old love letters, he assumes that they have been sent by a rival lover and storms out of the house. In his absence, Norman Craig, who with his wife plans to lease an upstairs apartment owned by Judge Corcoran, wanders into the Challoners' apartment, and Robin, mistaking him for a burglar, shoots him and then runs for a doctor. Returning, Geoffrey sees a man draped across his wife's bed and immediately files for divorce. Mrs. Craig and Norman, who had merely fainted, are invited to Judge Corcoran's weekend home along with the Challoners, whom the judge hopes to reunite. Norman's drunken condition brings him once again into Robin's room, however, while Geoffrey is discovered in a compromising situation with Mrs. Craig. Following a bewildering series of misadventures, including an attempted robbery by the maid and the chauffeur, Geoffrey learns that the love letters actually were his own, and the young couple are reconciled.

Hoboes Louie, Mike and Fresno Phil arrive in the town of Watts with a phony will claiming that they are the heirs of the estate of wealthy Isaac Watts. Since the long-dead Mr. Watts owned all of the buildings in town, the trio claim that, being his heirs, they are owned years of back rent from the buildings' tenants. The three are distracted, however, when a charming local widow, Mrs. Wonder, also claims to be entitled to the Watts estate, and the three decide to go after her money instead of the Watts estate. However, things don't turn out quite the way they expected.

Old Captain Ward, who hates society, lives in the hulk of his ship with his granddaughter Sally, whom he prevents from meeting people. Because Sally's mother died in childbirth without revealing the name of Sally's father, the captain continually vows to avenge her death. When Sally finds Teddy, a lame dog, she smuggles it aboard, but it runs away, and she follows it to a beautiful house belonging to the famous Judge Gordon. Hugh Schuyler, the judge's young friend, and Sally fall in love. After the captain chases Hugh away, Sally attends the judge's party, dressed in fine clothes which the judge bought, but the captain finds her and takes her away. When the judge visits the captain and confirms his suspicion that Sally is his daughter, the captain attempts to kill him. Sally intercepts a blow, and awakens to find that the judge has proven that he secretly was married to her mother, but because of illness, had lost contact with her. Sally accepts Hugh's proposal, and they sail away with the judge, the captain, and Teddy and his family.

Young Janet Barnes is jilted by fiance Ernest Morgan for Suzette Sparks, who comes from a rich family. Angered, Janet sends him a photo of the elaborate and elegant mansion next to her house, implying that is actually her home. Ernest replies that he and his new wife want to stop by for a visit on their honeymoon. Janet finds out that the mansion's owners are out of town and arranges with the estate's caretakers to use the mansion while Ernest and his wife come to town. Her charade comes off so well that Ernest begins to regret leaving Janet and makes a pass for her. To complicate matters, the mansion's real owner unexpectedly returns home early. Complications ensue.

Philip, a young dilettante, is a great disappointment to his brother, Miles, in whose home he is living when the story opens. Louise Holden, wife of Miles, labors valiantly to interest her dreamy young brother-in-law in something besides literature, but fails in this until, after great urging, Philip is induced to attend a bridge party given at the house. This marks the turning point in his career, for among the fashionable people in his brother's drawing room, he is presented to Helen Landon, daughter of a wealthy banker. In the moment that Philip looks into Helen's eyes, he loses interest in the book he is trying to write, and falls deeply in love with the girl. But he dares not tell her in so many words of his love, for just a few hours before they met, he was informed that his account is overdrawn at the bank. Miles denounces Philip as a waster, doomed to a miserable end. Helen's father, Robert Landon, is in league with Miles to corner a certain mining stock, D.L. and B. Their intention is to hammer the stock until nobody wants it and then buy into the concern on some inside information they have obtained as to its real value. Pushed to consideration of material matters by the constant urgings of his brother, and by the necessity for bestirring himself if he is ever to meet his beloved Helen on equal terms financially, Philip starts out looking for work. The dabbler in literature announces to the head of a big business concern that he wants a job at $6,000 a year as a starter, making himself ridiculous. The young fellow is turned away wherever he goes, until, entering the office of a mining stock shark, he finds an opportunity to sell stock on commission, taking his commissions in stock, which the promoter himself believes worthless. Philip carries a collection of pictures of the mine location with which to sell stock. He expounds to wealthy women on the beauty of the scenery surrounding the mine property, and with extraordinary good luck, sells the stock like hot cakes. Then comes a surprise; the promoter receives a telegram, which apprises him that large quantities of ore have been uncovered. The stock that Philip has been carrying round in his pocket is now worth a fortune. While trying to talk to his fiancée - for by this time he has proposed to Helen Landon - he overhears a plot between his supercilious banker brother and Landon, Helen's father, to corner the market in D.L. and B. stock. Philip enters the stock market against the two plotters and buys the mining stock as fast as they hammer it down, obtaining it practically at his own figure before Landon and the elder Holden realize that they have been caught short. In this dilemma they discover that much of the stock they have been selling has fallen into the hands of Philip, and Landon telephones in desperation to his putative son-in-law to "come on over." Philip is appealed to by the two market-riggers to let them have enough of his stock to cover their shortage. Copying the superior air of his brother, Philip keeps them on the anxious seat for a time, but finally yields, with the smiling consent of Helen.

Trixie Darling, a leading chorus girl in the musical comedy number "Chicken, Chicken, You're Some Pickin'," refuses Broadway Benham's seductive wine parties and luxuries. Instead, she marries John Collins, an awkward Westerner, who, she is surprised to learn, is a multi-millionaire with a huge orange grove in California. John, overhearing jealous dancers say Trixie married for money, decides to test her. He takes her in a rickety Ford to their "home," a shack, where he throws things, raves, and makes her fix his breakfast at five. When Benham brings the troupe to town, he easily convinces the disillusioned Trixie to appear, but John carries her off the stage. Gertie Brown, John's jealous former sweetheart, starts the Committee on Public Morals to get rid of Trixie. When Trixie interrupts their meeting and has a hair-pulling fight with Gertie, a dislodged kerosene lamp starts a fire. After nearly losing her life saving Gertie, Trixie awakens from unconsciousness to find herself in John's mansion, now accepted by all.

Young Doris Kane suspects that her fiance, Paul Evans, doesn't love her anymore. She finds out that he is now infatuated with a "vamp", Jeanne DuPre. Paul's father is appalled at his son's behavior, and devises a plan to break up the romance between his son and the vamp by making her fall for him and exposing her perfidy to his son.

Liz and her alcoholic father are rejected by the young people in the staid little New England village where they live. One day, Henry Penfield, the new minister, comes to town and is attracted to Liz. On the same train as Henry is Arnold Brice, a young artist who takes a fancy to Mildred Holcombe, the prettiest girl in town and the daughter of a deacon of the church. Mildred falls in love with Arnold, but her brother Arthur threatens to kill the artist if he finds them together. Ignoring Arthur's threats, Mildred goes to the artist's studio. Liz discovers that Arthur has followed her and runs to the studio to warn them. When Arthur arrives, Liz sacrifices her honor to save Mildred and confesses that she was having an affair with Arnold. The deacons then decide to send Liz away because of her disgrace, and Henry, overhearing Liz bid goodbye to Mildred, discovers the truth. That Sunday, he tenders his resignation and announces that he is going to marry Liz.