Mrs. Harmon (Hedda Hopper) is a widow with two daughters, Ethel (Norma Talmadge) and Janis (Natalie Talmadge -- Norma
's real-life sister). She leaves the two girls to spend their vacation at Holy Cross Academy while she angles for a rich husband to support them all. But the man she wants, Van Surdam (Charles Gerrard), proves to be more interested in young girls, so Mrs. Harmon sends for Ethel. It works, and Van Surdam falls for the daughter. Ethel only marries him because she knows her family needs the money, but when they go on a cruise, the liner is sunk by a submarine. A stoker, John Arnold (Wyndham Standing) saves her and they both wind up on an island. He has been jilted by a frivolous girl and professes to hate women, and Ethel admits that her experiences with the opposite sex aren't any better. Of course, they fall in love before being rescued. The jealous Van Surdam conveniently has a heart attack so the couple are free to be together. This picture was based on the Arthur Hornblow novel, By Right of Conquest, and the story was adapted by the husband/wife team of John Emerson and Anita Loos.
