A young man questions his Chinese ancestry when he falls in love.

Sam Lee, reared by a wealthy Chinese merchant in San Francisco's Chinatown, is tolerated in college only because of his money. Determined to prove himself, he works his way to the Riviera, where he is befriended by Bathurst, a novelist. The writer introduces him to Allana, a sophisticated American girl. She falls hopelessly in love with him and refuses to hear anything of his past or background; however, when she learns he is Chinese, she denounces him and lashes him with her riding crop. Sam returns home, heartbroken, to see his dying father; through Eileen, his dearest friend, he learns that he was orphaned by white parents. The repentant Allana returns to the United States, and the lovers are happily reunited.