Reverend Eric Norton leaves his position in a fashionable New York congregation to preach in a poor mining town, against the wishes of his wife, Cecelia. Disputes rage about the safety of the mines, which have been closed under pressure, but in spite of threats from "Bull" Morgan, a powerful miner, Eric uses his influence with the owner to reopen the mines. Bored with her drab life, Cecelia deserts her infant son and runs off to Paris with Richard Allen, a former lover, who eventually leaves her. Penitent, Cecelia decides to return home only to find that her husband, believing her dead after reading about her apparent suicide in a newspaper, has married Edith Jackson, his ward. Bull Morgan attempts to blow up the mines but is buried in the explosion instead. Sneaking into her home for a last look at her son, Cecelia accidentally sets the house on fire. After a brave rescue of the baby, Cecelia begs Eric's forgiveness, then dies.