Plot

Washington, D.C. society belle Elizabeth Crane gives up her fiance, young diplomat Paul Beale, when she learns that her foster sister Flavia also loves him. After Flavia and Paul marry, they join Elizabeth on a yacht belonging to millionaire Silas Randolph, who wants to marry Elizabeth. The yacht catches fire and Elizabeth and Paul swim to a desert isle. Randolph arrives later and fights Paul to get to Elizabeth, but she stabs him to death. As the months pass, Paul and Elizabeth, believing Flavia dead, rediscover their love and live as if they were married; but Flavia, who was saved by a freight steamer, sees a vision of Elizabeth and organizes a search party. When Elizabeth sees Flavia's boat approach, she tells Paul, who says he wants to remain with her. After she convinces Paul that his child has a right to him, Elizabeth walks into the sea and drowns herself so that Flavia will not know of the island romance.—Pamela Short

Elizabeth Crane lives and entertains lavishly in Washington. She is the fiancée of Paul Beale, a diplomat. Elizabeth is a thoughtful young woman, and is interested in charities as well as things of the social world. Her younger sister, Flavia, returns from two years of schooling in Paris. Paul becomes fascinated by the girlish ways of Flavia, and the unsuspecting Elizabeth realizes at a dance that her lover has transferred his affections to Flavia and she releases him from his engagement to her. Then follows the marriage of Paul and Flavia. Silas Randolph attempts to win Elizabeth but fails. He gets up a party to go cruising on his palatial yacht. After some persuasion by Silas' sister, Mrs. Van De Veer, Elizabeth is persuaded to accompany the party. It also includes Paul and Flavia. The yacht is destroyed by fire. Flavia is rescued by a sailing vessel after a night in the water. Elizabeth and Paul drift ashore on a desert island. She takes care of the man. who has been injured in the accident and has become almost helpless. Silas gets to shore on another part of the same island. He comes across the other two survivors. Elizabeth has found some food and feeds the ravenous Silas. He becomes demented and attacks her. Paul intervenes but is easily thrown off. Then Elizabeth manages after a struggle to kill him with a knife. Her attention becomes now centered in caring for Paul. He recovers his strength and aids her in making garments out of sailcloth, catching fish and devising furniture. After a long time he claims her as his wife, as he says the sea has given her to him. Meanwhile Flavia has given birth to a child and is living in her beautiful home in Washington. In her love for her sister, Flavia has an intuition that she may have escaped the peril of the sea. She goes with a searching party and a ship to examine the island near which the yacht was wrecked. Paul and Elizabeth see them land. Paul wants to keep away from the party having grown to love Elizabeth dearly. She tells him that he owes it to his wife to return to her. Elizabeth then hastens away and drowns herself before Paul can prevent her. When finally the party arrives where Paul is sadly looking out at sea where Elizabeth disappeared, his wife throws her arms around him. She asks him if he is alone and he replies bitterly, "All alone."—Moving Picture World synopsis