Plot

Mary Phillips lives with her mother in a small town. She gives a party for her school-girl friend, Clara Melbourne, and introduces to her John Brown and Charles Bowers, both of whom are in love with Mary. Clara is attracted to John, largely because of his wealth. Bowers goes away on a business trip, and in his absence Mary marries John Brown, her mother fostering the match. Two years elapse, during which time a baby girl is born to them. Mary and Charles have carried on a friendly correspondence during this time, and when he comes to town she lunches with him. Clara sees them together, and still embittered because of Mary's winning John, she writes an anonymous letter to the latter insinuating that Mary is unfaithful to him. In a waste basket John finds the torn fragments of a letter Mary had written to Charles but had never sent. He pieces these together, pasting them on the glass of a picture frame. The letter is affectionate in its terms and John immediately jumps to the conclusion that Mary is untrue to him, and he leaves her. Several years elapse, during which time Mary supports her child by taking in sewing. John has meantime gone to a distant city, where he has grubbed a comfortable fortune as a money lender. Mary borrows money from an old man in her home town to enable Helen, her daughter, now a girl in her teens, to go to the city, where a position awaits her. As the weeks go by, Mary is unable to pay back the loan, and Helen borrows money on her salary from the loan agency of which her father is the proprietor. Being pressed to pay back this second loan, Helen calls upon the agency to apply for an extension of time. She meets her father, who recognizes her through a cameo ring which he had given his wife years before, and which Helen offers as security on the loan. Through their daughter father and mother are later reunited.—Moving Picture World synopsis