- Olaf writes his memoirs, before his execution. He tells of his life as a struggling farmer when Renie, stranded in the village, stays one night in his home and Olaf falls in love with her. Later, two men take rooms in the house, and Olaf, to get all their money, kills one of them and wounds the other, Paul. Paul is convicted of the murder and goes to jail, while Olaf, guiltily feeling the "eye of God" upon him, leaves his farm and starts wandering. Meanwhile, Renie, who had been Paul's fiancée, vows to find the real murderer. She once again meets Olaf, whom she has always suspected, and pretends to love him. Then she accuses him of the murder and keeps on accusing him until he, worn down, finally confesses, thereby freeing Paul.—Pamela Short
- Before his execution Olaf determines to record his experiences so that the world may take warning. Olaf spent the best years of his life in trying to make an impoverished farm pay living expenses. He and his wife, Ana, lived alone. The wife's sister becomes ill and Ana goes to the house a few miles away to care for her. As she passes the station she is accosted by a stranger, Renie, and her maid, who ask about the trains. Ana tells them there is no train until the morning. The night is stormy and the two women apply for shelter at Olaf's house. This is reluctantly given. He is impressed with the strong personality of Renie. He retires to the attic and given the bedroom to the women. Renie sleeps in the bedroom while her maid uses a lounge near the kitchen, which is opposite the bedroom. Olaf, who cannot forget Renie, crawls down into the bedroom through a trapdoor. He kisses her and escapes just as she awakens. Next day the woman and maid leave and the ensuing weeks Olaf spends brooding and thinking of the woman. Another stormy, rainy night comes and two passing travelers beg refuge. Olaf at first refuses them, then, upon being offered liberal pay, consents. Paul, the younger of the two, is the fiancé of Renie. He and his companion have a large sum of money and jewelry. Olaf sees the treasure and his soul is filled with greed. The strangers are given the same room occupied by Renie, while Olaf again takes the attic. They are suspicious of their host and resolve to spend the night watching, one sleeping while the other watches the only door leading to the bedroom, from the kitchen. The older man retires, and Paul sits up to watch. Olaf is unable to restrain his passion to possess the money. Paul is suddenly aroused by a pistol shot and rushes into the adjoining room. His partner is sitting up in bed and as he enters a shot is fired. Paul drops seriously wounded. A few minutes later Olaf clatters down the steps just as the hired man and his wife enter from the outside. Ana, at the home of her sister, gets a premonition that something is wrong at home, and, unable to shake off the feeling, hurries to the house. Thus she arrives to find the tragedy. Paul recovers, but the valuables cannot be located, and the evidence against Paul causes him to be sentenced to life imprisonment. There is nothing against Olaf and he is freed. Ana and her husband return home, but in a short time. Ana is unable to endure the strain of living in the house, as she seems to feel the eye of God upon her at all times. She leaves Olaf. Left alone at the house, he begins to get uneasy. Frequently he finds an eye staring at him, but can never trace it. Finally he cannot bear the strain, and going to the attic, unearths the valuables. He determines to see the world. He leaves the farm to his wife and sets out. Renie is heartbroken over the sentence given her lover, and believing in his innocence, promises to run down the guilty man. Olaf wanders through many and strange lands. The eye follows him and he is almost frantic with the strain, when again he meets Renie. She seems glad to see him, and invites him to her home. Olaf becomes bewitched by the woman and she plays upon him at her will. Olaf has been kind to the maid on several occasions and one day she gives him a note, warning him that he is in danger. He cannot understand it and shows the note to Renie. She is disconcerted at first, but explains the matter away. Olaf becomes more and more enamored of the woman and she accepts his attentions, secretly despising him. One day, to prove his affection, Olaf gives the woman a beautiful piece of jewelry. She recognizes it as part of the loot which is missing from the murder of Paul's companion. A little later he declares he kissed her the night of her visit and discloses how he sneaked into the room. She accuses him of the murder and in his surprise he almost confesses. She then tells him she is the promised wife of the man imprisoned. Olaf is taken into custody by the police. The maid, still anxious to be of help to him, shuts off the light at a critical moment and Olaf escapes. He wanders to many places, but the eye is ever following him. Finally, worn and unnerved, he returns to the woman's house and gives himself up. He is taken by the officers and makes a full confession, telling how he slipped into the room through the trap door, murdered the partner and tried to kill Paul, and how he secured the loot and hid it until the matter was dropped. Renie and Paul are reunited and are happy in their love. As Olaf finishes writing his life story the steps of the executioners approach his cell and he is led forth to pay the penalty of his crime.—Moving Picture World synopsis
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