A beautiful and ambitious young woman leaves her boyfriend for a famous sculptor, and later--after she models for his statue "Miss Ambition"--marries an old but wealthy art collector. However, things don't turn out quite the way she planned.
Corinne Griffith
as Marta
Walter McGrail
as Larry Boyle
Betty Blythe
as Edith Webster
Denton Vane
as John Norwood
Templar Saxe
as Dudley Kelland
Fred Smith
as Nowland Wells
Harry Kendall
as Blair
In the Jacobite Rising of 1745, the Young Pretender Bonnie Prince Charlie leads an insurrection to overthrow the Protestant House of Hanover and restore his family, the Catholic branch of the House of Stuart, to the British throne.
Peasant girl Vania is assaulted by a duke who murders her lover and sends her away to London.
Joe Henry, head of a one-ring circus, plays a small town and after the departure of the troupe a young girl, fascinated by the prospects of being a star, follows. She is engaged and her presence causes jealousy on the part of Joe's sweetheart.
On the trail of counterfeiters Detective Craig is on their trail. Suspicion falls on James Dalton who passes bad money through unsuspecting "fences." Dalton plants bad bills on young Bob Brierly and when it is detected Dalton, as usual, escapes while the innocent Bob is caught and convicted. Upon his release Bob meets Mae Edwards who gets him a job in her bank. When Dalton comes to the bank to case it for a robbery he runs into Bob and tries to recruit him as an accomplice. Bob, who has married Mae, refuses. Dalton causes him to lose his position and because of Dalton’s persistent efforts forces Bob to join the crook. Craig, shadowing Dalton, knows Bob is taking part against his will. Craig foils the robbery and after a motorboat chase Dalton is captured and exonerates Bob.
The life and complex relationships of ambitious college professor Walter Hubbard and the titular character, Elizabeth Owen, exploring the deeply intertwined personal and professional conflicts he faces, and how Elizabeth's presence and their history together reshape his trajectory.
Penniless aristocrat Yvonne Dupré ekes out a living selling her paintings to a crooked dealer, Leon Naisson, who passes them off as other more famous artists. Leon confides to his unscrupulous model Romildo, that he is attracted to Yvonne. Romildo drugs his lover, fiery Apache dancer Juliette who closely resembles Yvonne, then tries to extort money from Leon to have his way with her. Leon discovers the duplicity but convinces the artist's sweetheart, Dick Gray, that she has been unfaithful. As police close in on Leon, he frames Yvonne by planting forged paintings in her studio. Following Yvonne's arrest, Juliette is informed by her foster sister that she was stolen by gypsies as a child and is actually Yvonne's twin sister. Juliette exposes Leon's operation to the police, reuniting Yvonne and Dick.
Giulia, a Neapolitan girl, much against her will, becomes the mistress of a wealthy gangster. Her "protector" is stabbed to death by Giulia's hot-headed musician lover Tony (Francis McDonald), whereupon the heroine takes refuge in the villa of French playwright La Farge. Under La Farge's careful tutelage, Giulia develops into a famous actress, capturing the heart of the Duke De Chaumont. Though LaFarge himself has fallen in love with the girl, he does not stand in her way when she accepts the Duke's proposal. But Giulia has not reckoned with Tony, who is still crazy about her and still willing to kill any man who stands in his way. Tony murders LaFarge, then sets his sights on the Duke, intending to kill the poor fellow during the wedding ceremony. Hoping to save the Duke's life, Giulia pretends to have fallen out of love with him and returns to Tony.
The famous painter Bernhard Steen has made a portrait of the actress Thora Flemming.
English hellraiser Richard Farrington is sent by his wealthy titled parents for a visit to his aunt and uncle in Long Island, New York. On the ocean voyage, Richard meets Betty Winthrop, the ward of the wealthy Van Allen family. Introducing himself he mistakenly gives her the card of John Smithers, a conman who cheated him at cards in London. He follows Betty to the Van Allen estate, where he hears her declare that she would rather marry an American criminal than a weakling English aristocrat. Determined to win her over, he pretends to be Smithers, but things don't turn out exactly the way he planned.
Beatrix and Pelham Franklin marriage is tested by jealousy and a scheming woman. Beatrix, about to have a baby, sends Pelham on a cruise where he meets the flirtatious May Beamish. Beatrix then provokes a fight by going out with a former admirer, leading to a separation. May tries to take advantage of the situation, but Beatrix ultimately wins back her husband's affection, exposing May's schemes.