Both on the verge of major stardom, John Gilbert and the smoldering Evelyn Brent starred in this melodrama about a penniless inventor (Gilbert), who agrees to plead guilty to a murder he didn't commit in exchange for $20,000 and a promise of a pardon at the end of the year. When the agreement is not fulfilled, an irate Gilbert breaks out of jail and demands satisfaction before the governor (Edwin Booth Tilton), whose daughter (Brent) had committed the crime in self-defense. The latter is prevented from marrying a crooked politician (Harry Todd) and, recognizing Gilbert as her long-lost lover, readily clears his name and is herself exonerated.