Dr. Robert Lowndes of the British army practices in a small Indian outpost during a cholera epidemic, and to ease his fever, uses morphine. He becomes an addict, but his sweetheart, Betty Archer, makes him promise to reform. Another of Betty's suitors, however, Captain Guy Douglas, uses drugs to tempt Lowndes.

Based on the 1907 play 'Lady Frederick' by W. Somerset Maugham, this tells the story of Betsy O'Hara in her pursuit of romance and love.

The home of Mrs. Bryson and her two daughters is happy except for the poverty that prevents the girls from sending their sick mother away to the mountains. Both help to support the household, but it is Shirley who feels the responsibility of her mother's approaching death and her worry is evident to all about her. She is employed in a manicure shop frequented by wealthy men and meets Wilfred Templeton, who invites her to dine with him. He questions her about her dejected air and she tells him of her mother's illness. This is Templeton's opportunity, and he asks her to make a bargain with him. He will give her all the money she needs and in return she is to live with him in an apartment which he will establish for her.

After a forward introduces the question of whether women are temperamentally suited for jury duty, Jim O'Neil, a young shipping clerk, is found holding a revolver over his dead employer, Edward Knox. The celebrated novelist Grace Norton, selected to be on the jury at Jim's trial, becomes the first woman juror in New York.

Heiress Mary Anderson feigns poverty during her romance with struggling artist Bruce Haldeman, however her status-conscious mother puts an end to the affair. Mary secretly goes to Bruce's studio, misconstrues the situation with one of his models and tells Bruce she hates him. Upset Bruce wants to destroy his portrait of Mary, but the model stops him, enters the painting in an art contest, and explains the mix-up to Mary's father. Mr. Anderson then meets with Bruce and Mary's persistent suitor Smythe Addison pretending he has lost his fortune. Smythe quickly drops out of contention for Mary's hand, but Bruce remains eager. Resolving their differences Bruce finds out during the planning of the wedding that he has won the art contest, finding overnight fame as a painter.