Helen and Joe are in love. He receives a letter from his uncle offering him a good position in his law office. He shows Helen the letter and she shows him one from the Standard, also a check for a short story. They have a quarrel over a slight thing and he leaves for his uncle's place. Six years go by and Helen is now a very successful writer on a large daily. The managing editor sends for her and tells her she must go west to cover a large graft story and land the men for another paper. She leaves that night and reports to the other editor. He gives her a list of the aldermen whom they suspect and the name of the politician who is handling the graft money for the Asphant Paving Co. Helen sees Phelan and he takes her out to dinner that evening. A man speaks to him. Phelan borrows Helen's pad to write a note. When she gets home she notices on the next page in her pad the impression from the hand of Phelan. She reports to the editor and she, with the help of a man, installs a dictograph and that night she sees and hears the graft money passed, but into the hands of Joe Walsh. She goes to her room dazed, but sees him the next day, when he shows her the money he took, also other money, but it was taken to expose the other councilmen. They go at once to the editor, where the money and affidavit is deposited in the office safe and she starts to write the great story. That night the council chamber is crowded. Helen finishes, gets a machine, goes to the station, gets detective and starts for the council and arrives just in time to save Walsh from being arrested, after he accuses the other men. While Helen places all under arrest, the boys can be heard with the extras.