High school students led by the Girl and Boy turn from Christianity toward secret atheistic meetings. When a girl is accidentally killed by a stairway collapse, the Girl and Boy go to reform school where they are treated brutally.

The hard-boiled owner of a big-city speakeasy is reunited with her daughter, who has been raised to believe that her mother is dead, then finds herself accused of murdering her daughter's no-good boyfriend.

A novelist and his younger brother fall in love with the same woman.

When Peaceful Patton goes to work at the Martini ranch he is mistaken for the notorious outlaw the Hard Hombre. This enables him to force the ranchers to divide up the water rights. But he is in trouble when his mother arrives and exposes the hoax.