The adopted daughter of New-York-City gambler, Al Draper, elopes from quarantine (key plot word) with another voyager from Europe. Later she is found murdered in a hotel room. Draper is dissatisfied with the handling of the case by the district attorney and sets out to work the case himself.

When a gangster's speakeasy is raided by the police, one of the people picked up is the gangster's pretty young girlfriend. A kind-hearted cop takes pity on her and helps her get out of that life. While waitressing to earn money for college, she meets a wealthy and handsome young man and they fall in love--but he doesn't know about her somewhat shady past and her relationship with the gangster.

Wilkie and Mitchell, trying to desert their draft into the army, stow away on a ship which takes them into the war zone. While AWOL, the rivals for Mary's affections accidently destroy an ammunition dump.