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This was the first time the sentimental Rida Johnson Young play was filmed (it was remade in 1937 as a Jeanette MacDonald/ Nelson Eddy vehicle). The wealthy Ottilie Van Zandt (Ethel Shannon) falls in love with Richard Wayne, the son of the family gardener (Harrison Ford). Although the pair swears their undying love and formalizes it by burying their pledge under a tree, Ottilie's father, Colonel Van Zandt (Josef Swickard), is not moved. He forbids them to marry and Richard goes West, where he makes a fortune. On his return, however, he discovers that Ottilie has been forced into a marriage to her cousin, Claude (Wallace Macdonald). The years pass and Richard, too, marries, but he and Ottilie never stop loving one another. When Ottilie loses her fortune, Richard buys the old home for her. Eventually Ottilie becomes a grandmother, and the girl (also played by Shannon) falls in love with Richard's grandson, also named Richard (Ford once again). But young Ottilie is an old-fashioned girl while Richard is dazzled by jazz and chorus girls. But he comes to Ottilie's aid when she is lured to the home of a lecher. During their escape, a storm blows and a fallen tree imprisons Ottilie. When Richard rescues her, they find their grandparent's pledge, usurped by a tree root. Richard finally realizes that Ottilie is the only girl for him and they now pledge their love. Clara Bow, who had recently arrived in Hollywood, makes one of her very early screen appearances.