When a little boy is crippled in an accident caused by the deterioration of his East Side tenement home in New York, attorney Larry Clark files suit against the wealthy proprietor, Joyce Moore, who refuses to take interest in the matter. The spoiled Joyce becomes furious when her uncle informs her of the lawsuit, and she goes for a walk in the park, where she is attacked, robbed and left with someone else's purse. Joyce is picked up by the police, and because of the purse, she is identified as Mary Kane and sentenced to thirty days in a workhouse because she appears to be drunk. There she is befriended by Kate Flynn, an "angel of mercy" who has assisted many unfortunates who reside in Joyce's tenements. Upon her release, Joyce visits her buildings, and she is horrified by their condition. She immediately hires workers to implement repairs without revealing her identity, and later invites Larry to meet her on her yacht. Larry, who had fallen in love with "Mary Kane" on many visits to the workhouse, is surprised to find that the spoiled heiress is none other than his beloved Mary, and they marry.