Lydia Thorne, a spoiled and selfish girl of wealth and position, meets Dan O'Bannon, a serious-minded district attorney, but their growing affection is disturbed by her thoughtlessness in speeding on the road and by a petty theft involving her maid, Evans. While being chased by a policeman for speeding, she causes the officer to be killed, and despite the efforts of an able defense lawyer, she is convicted of manslaughter and vows vengeance against O'Bannon. Prison discipline awakens her dormant kindness and generosity; meanwhile, O'Bannon resigns his position and leads an aimless, wild life, but eventually he manages to pull himself together. Released from prison, Lydia demands that O'Bannon's new employer discharge him. O'Bannon protests, claiming that he still loves her; and though she sends him away, later she finds happiness in his arms.