Truax, a reporter, arriving on the scene of the murder of the wealthy Paxton, finds a jade caught in the carpet at the murdered man's feet, and, knowing this as the secret means of entrance to the opium dive of Fon Too, he hides it to follow up the clue. He phones his paper, giving the details of the case, but withholding the story of the jade, in hopes of getting a "scoop" later on. On his way to Chinatown to visit Fon Too he stops for a moment to see his fiancée, Eleanor, in the department store where she is employed, but is told that she has not appeared that morning. Worried, he goes to her boarding house, but is told once more that she has not been seen since the previous day. Though reluctant to abandon the search for Eleanor, he is forced to do so when his editor demands a better story on the Paxton murder. He goes to Fon Too, to whom he is known, shows him the jade, and by force, wrings from him the fact that Paxton brought Eleanor there the previous night. He insists, however, that she has escaped and that he does not know where she is. Seeing that the Chinaman is telling the truth, Truax wastes no time on him, but for Eleanor's home, hoping to find a clue to her disappearance. On his arrival he finds that Eleanor is already there, but at first she refuses to see him. He forces his way into the room, and once inside, she tells him the story of how Paxton, though a married man, constantly annoyed her at the store. From time to time he asked her to lunch or for a drive with him and was irritated at her continued refusals. Then, the night before, while walking through a dark street, she was set upon by two men, chloroformed, and woke up in Fon Too's opium den. Here, still obstinate, she was given the choice of going to Paxton or Fon Too, and having no recourse, she chose the lesser evil by accepting Paxton. Then she escaped and took a silent vow to be avenged on the brute who forced her to sacrifice her honor. That morning, when Paxton came into his office, she was waiting for him and shot him dead. At first she intended to hide, but now she is willing to give herself up, for in so doing she will be helping many other girls in the same predicament. Truax helps her out of her difficulty, and although she thought that all was over between them after her disgrace, he still loves her, and his love almost recompenses her for all her suffering.