Jim Starkey is betrothed to Jane Learoyd, the daughter of old Noah Learoyd. Both men work in the factory of Richard Readley, who makes advances to Jane. To free herself from his attentions, she arranges to meet the employer of her father and sweetheart near her house at night. Her father learns of the appointment, and loads an old-fashioned pistol, in which he uses as a wad a portion of a letter written to his daughter by her sweetheart, Jim. He then starts out for the place of the appointment, and, seeing his daughter in the arms of his employer, believes that she is dishonored and shoots him. At that instant he loses his mind. His daughter Jane knows that he has done murder, but her sweetheart Jim is accused. The wad is found near the body, and the fact that it is in his handwriting is used as evidence against him. At the moment of the murder, however, Jim was in another city saying farewell to his chum Johnny, who is leaving for Europe on an Atlantic liner. When Jim returns to his home he is arrested and accused. Jane comes to his cell and he tells Jane of his meeting with Johnny, the sailor on the steamship Columbia, Columbia, and she, to save his life, calls on a prominent attorney asking him to help her. She pleads with the cranky lawyer, who eventually decides to help her. We see her arrive at the steamship dock, but too late. The old lawyer hires a tug and it races after the huge liner. Eventually they catch up with it and, stopping it, Jane and the lawyer climb aboard. The captain, however, refuses to allow Johnny to return to New York, claiming that he needs him for his crew, which is short-handed. Johnny pleads with him, but in vain, and Jane and the lawyer sorrowfully return to the tug, which pulls away from the vessel. Johnny realizes that his friend's life is in his hands. He makes one more appeal to the captain, is refused, ordered to be put in irons for insolence, and this is about to be done when he runs to the side of the vessel and makes a jump into the sea many feet below. He is picked up by the tug, which races back to New York. They arrive there too late to catch the train, but bargain with an engine driver to take them back to where Jim is being tried. This is done and they arrive in the courtroom just as the jury returns and is about to pronounce the verdict of guilty. Johnny rushes up to the stand, tells his story to the judge, and Jim is released.