Historically significant as Universal's first 100% all-talkie, the production suffered from having a tight shooting schedule. Carl Laemmle was only able to rent the Fox Movietone sound-on-film recording system for one week, having to be filmed at night while the Fox Studio was closed down for the evenings.
Leah Kleschna has been a thief all her life. However, an encounter with a man she intends to rob makes her question her life's course. The film is lost.
A super-model begins to question her glitzy, frenetic lifestyle when she awakes after a all night party to find a strange man in her bed. She sees a surfer riding the waves below, follows him to his tented camp on the banks of a river. 'Leatherlip' earns a living making leather goods and roaming around on an extraordinary 'trike' with his worldly goods and surfboard strapped on an overhead rack. They fall in love and she abandons her previous life. Then inexplicably she disappears. Leatherlip sets off on a cross-country odyssey to find her, knowing only that her father lives on a boat on the West Coast...
Starvation faces the little post of Red Gold. Jack Thorpe, in a final effort to obtain food for his wife and baby, offers all his gold for one pound of meat.
Unrequited love rules the day as both wealthy Judith Sylvester and her invalid aunt pine for men who got away, but happiness lays ahead for one while hopeful dreams sustain the other.
Press agent "Inky" Ames, in a quandary to publicize showgirl Anitra St. Clair, convinces her to paint a birthmark on her shoulder and pose as millionaire mine owner Theodore True's long-lost daughter.
After years of service, the Captain of the Setuckit Life Saving Station on Cape Cod retires, Calvin Homer, the second in command, Calvin Homer expects to be promoted; but the appointment goes instead to Bartlett, a religious fanatic who has been the recipient of a good deal of favorable newspaper publicity. Calvin hands in his resignation.
James Wadsworth sets his sights on the lovely society girl Anna Dalton and determines to marry her. To achieve that goal, he follows her everywhere she goes, including on a ship to South America. He comes up with a plan to make her love him--he throws her overboard, follows her over the side and swims with her to a deserted island. His somewhat unorthodox method works and he wins over Anna, but problems arise when Richard Towne, Anna's fiancé who has been searching for her, finds the island and discovers the two.
About Dick Heldar, an aspiring artist. Although he is devoted to his childhood sweetheart, Maisie Wells, his ambition drives him to faraway places. He meets Torpenhow, a war correspondent, at Port Said, and accompanies him into battle.
Freckles, a one-armed orphan tired of being tormented by others runs away eventually finding a place as a watchman in the timber camp, The Limberlost. He falls in love with Angel but feeling unworthy of her keeps his feelings silent until a near catastrophic incident reveals the bond between them.
General Wolfe, appointed commander of the expedition against Quebec, comes to bid his mother goodbye. Before sailing, the general calls upon his sweetheart, Katherine Lowther. She presents him with a locket containing a miniature of herself. Wolfe places the jewel on a chain about his neck. Mignon Mars and her brother, Hubert, of a Canadian family, are captured by a body of men attached to the Royal Americans. Lieutenant Arleigh, the officer in charge, secures their release. Mignon loses her heart to the young officer. General Montcalm arrives at Quebec and takes command of the French forces.
Margaret Jarnette discovers that her husband Victor has been cheating on her and confronts him. Outraged, Victor has his lawyer rewrite his will so that in the event of his death, his brother Richard will get custody of his daughter Muriel, and his wife won't. When Victor dies shortly afterward, Richard suspects that Margaret had murdered him and takes custody of Muriel. However, he soon begins to suspect that things may not be quite as cut-and-dried as he thought they were.
Neglected by her husband, Beth Stanford becomes interested in Arthur, his friend. Although their friendship is an innocent one. Stanford becomes intensely jealous. Arthur presents Beth with a diamond brooch upon her birthday. Later, when Stanford faces ruin, he compels Beth to pawn her jewels. The money thus secured proves insufficient for his needs. The man drinks heavily in his desperation and falls into a drunken stupor. When Stanford returns home, he meets Arthur. The husband cedes Beth to Arthur for a sum sufficient to settle his obligations.
Molly Boone's father has been sent to prison for twenty years for alleged complicity in the killing of a revenue officer, Uriah Hudson, whom she secretly suspects of having a hand in sending her father to prison, is her persistent suitor.
Mabel Mack's mother is deserted by her father and the mother dies. All that Mabel retains of her family history is a group photograph of her father, mother and herself, in a locket which she always wears.
The will of old Dr. Andrews left the bulk of his property to his niece, Mary, who was an orphan living in a distant mining town. The small balance of his wealth went to a married nephew, John, who had been practicing medicine with him and was now made the executor of his estate, but who felt that he should have been made the sole heir.
Oliver and Elizabeth wed. He is a famous lawyer, careless of his personal conduct, but has implicit faith in Elizabeth. She is a woman of strong mind, a magazine writer of repute, and believes he should guide himself by the same code that governs her. Two of their associates are profligates, Charles, an artist, and Catherine. Oliver trifles with Catherine and this so embitters Elizabeth, that she pretends to receive the attentions of Charles, although it is made clear that she has remained pure. Nevertheless, she purposely permits her husband to believe otherwise. He has considered her like Caesar's wife, but his faith is shattered. A child is born to her and the father doubts its parentage.