Summary
In the cutthroat arena of early 20th-century finance, the patriarch Farrington finds himself pulverized by a predatory fiscal syndicate, a catastrophe that drives him to a tragic self-termination. His daughter, Paula, catalyzed by a volatile mixture of grief and righteous indignation, undergoes a metamorphosis from a socialite into a calculating vigilante. Her odyssey into the heart of the conspiracy leads her to a high-society masquerade where she encounters the enigmatic Dr. Smith. While a burgeoning romance flickers between them, it is quickly extinguished by a web of misapprehensions and Paula's singular focus on her vendetta. Realizing that the evidence required to dismantle the cabal resides within the fortified residence of Van Brunt, one of the ring’s primary architects, Paula enlists the expertise of Bill Fitch—a recidivist thief seeking moral recalibration. The eventual heist unearths a devastating revelation: the shadowy mastermind behind her father’s ruin is none other than Dr. Smith’s own father. This discovery precipitates a profound psychological crisis, forcing Paula to weigh the cold satisfaction of retribution against the transformative power of love. Ultimately, the narrative pivots toward a redemptive grace, as the elder Smith, confronted with the wreckage of his avarice, seeks to mend the lives his machinations nearly destroyed.
Synopsis
Ruined by a powerful financial ring, Farrington commits suicide, after which his daughter Paula vows to take vengeance in her own hands and hunt the man behind the ring. At a house party, Paula meets Dr. Smith, who falls in love with her, but a misunderstanding separates them. Unsuccessful in locating the man, but knowing that papers in the house of Van Brunt, one of the ring members, will identify the leader, Paula secures the papers with the aid of Old Bill Fitch, a reformed burglar. To her horror, she discovers that the man is Dr. Smith's father. Paula relinquishes vengeance for love, and Dr. Smith's father, realizing the error of his ways, agrees to make reparations.
