John Pemberton, bachelor, gives a thorough education to his ward, Elsie, aged 18, whom he secretly loves. During Elsie's final year at school in the city, John is startled to learn that she contemplates marriage with George Trent. John hurries to the city, finds Elsie in all innocence in Trent's home, and against her protests, hurries her away. With Elsie back in her home, John is distressed to learn that she is planning an elopement with Trent. John intercepts Elsie just as she is leaving the house. He leads her to the library and leaves her alone with an envelope containing the reasons why she must not wed Trent. As Elsie reads, she sees her mother, Alice, wooed by both John and a man named Craig, forced by her father to wed Craig because of his wealth. Later, when Elsie is pictured as a child of three, Alice is extremely unhappy with Craig, who mistreats her. Trent then enters the story. Professing friendship for Alice, he urges her to divorce herself from Craig. Meanwhile, Craig, enamored of a courtesan named Clara, prepares a note, saying that he is leaving Alice. He does not know that Alice, determined to divorce him, has written John, as an attorney, to come to her and arrange for the separation. Craig, carrying the note, enters his home to learn that John is there. The life-long hatred he has borne for John culminates in a fight in which Craig is killed by Alice in self-defense. Trent, unseen, has witnessed the tragedy through the window. John finds in Craig's pocket the note he had addressed to Alice. To all intents, it is a note left by a man contemplating suicide. Craig's death wound appears to have been self-inflicted. So John, to save Alice, places Craig's note on the table and the revolver in his hand. To all appearances Craig has committed suicide. John then takes Alice, with little Elsie, to his mansion, where she recuperates. John's love for Alice grows stronger and he asks her to marry him. She agrees. Trent, who has learned of Alice's presence in John's home, creeps into the house during John's absence and confronts Alice. He plunges her into mortal terror by telling her he knows she killed Craig and will keep quiet only upon her promise to marry him. John, returning unexpectedly, furiously attacks Trent. Trent, maddened, turns upon Alice with the declaration that he is going to expose her as a murderess. The shock is too much for Alice's constitution and she drops dead of heart failure. The story fades back to the library, where Elsie finishes reading of how her mother died through Trent's perfidy. Elsie, repentant, seeks John. He is waiting for her, with the ring he had intended to put upon Alice's finger years before. And Elsie accepts him.