Eleanor Warren is loved by Harold Rives, a struggling artist. Although fond of the young man, Eleanor longs for the comforts of wealth. Walter Hastings, a wealthy Southern planter, meets Eleanor and falls in love with her. Rives sees the two together. Filled with jealous rage, the artist creates a scene and is ordered from the house. Shortly afterwards Rives hears that Eleanor has married Hastings. Immediately after the wedding, Hastings and his bride leave for their southern home. Later, a daughter is born. Eleanor, however, is not happy. Her longing for the gay times of her girlhood are intensified by the messages she receives from her chum in the north. Eleanor also learns that Rives, favored by fortune, is now one of the foremost artists of the day. She receives news that her aunt has died, together with a letter informing her that she has inherited her relative's estate. Now in a position to take an active part in the affairs of society, Eleanor, knowing that her husband would never consent to join in the social whirl, determines to leave him. When Hastings returns home that evening, he finds a note in which his wife informs him of her purpose. Back in her old home, Eleanor plunges into the social vortex. She meets Rives once more. The woman falls madly in love with him. Rives, however, learning what Eleanor has done, sees her for just what she is. Hastings, embittered by his wife's faithlessness, is filled with a hatred towards all women. Turning his back upon civilization, the man takes his daughter, Frances, into the wilderness, where he leads a primitive life. So great is his distrust of all women, that the father rears Frances up as a boy. Fifteen years later Frances as wild as any boy. Clad in trousers and rough shirt, she contributes toward the family larder with her rifle and rod. A surveying party headed by John Weir enters the forest. Frances becomes a favorite with the men, who are ignorant of her real sex. Rives, on a sketching trip, meets Frances. He induces her to pose for a painting. As "The Barefoot Boy," his painting creates a sensation. A falling tree crushes Hastings to death. Frances' cries bring Weir and his men to the scene. Later, Weir learns that the "boy" is in reality a girl. The man takes Frances home to his wife. The couple adopt the orphan. Fate causes Rives to stroll towards the Weir home. Frances sees her friend of the forest and rushes to greet him. The artist, amazed, draws back, but his amazement increases when he discovers that the beautiful girl before him and "The Barefoot Boy" are one and the same. Rives has tired of the friendship of Eleanor. Frances' youth and freshness win the man's heart. The artist wins the Weirs' consent to paint Frances in her feminine attire. Eleanor sees Rives take the girl in his arms. Frantic at the thought of losing Rives. Eleanor resolves to bare her friendship with the artist. Unable to believe the story. Frances shrinks from her in horror. The girl learns the truth, however. The artist declares that his heart belongs to Frances. Rushing from the room, she meets Weir and tells him all that has transpired. The surveyor confronts Eleanor and Rives and informs the woman of Frances' identity. The following day Eleanor appears at the Weir home and begs to see her daughter. Weir informs her that Frances has gone to visit her father's grave. Frances is sobbing over the rude mound when a touch on her arm causes her to turn. She confronts Eleanor, who informs her of their relationship. The girl stares at the heart-broken woman. A sudden impulse causes Frances to take her mother in her arms. Throwing herself at her daughter's feet, Eleanor begs for her forgiveness. Just at this moment, a shot emanating from Rives' studio brings his servants to the scene. They find the artist on the floor, a revolver clutched in his hand.