Mark Sabre, a wounded war veteran, hires Effie Bright to keep his wife Mabel company. However, Mabel fires Effie, who then seeks refuge with Mark after she becomes homeless with her baby. This leads to Mabel leaving Mark, and the town's disapproval of Mark's relationship with Effie. In a moment of desperation, Effie does something terrible, causing Mark to have a nervous breakdown and things to spiral out of control.