After his beloved wife dies in childbirth, David King scorns his newborn daughter and leaves for Italy to pursue his artistic career. While King becomes a prominent painter, his child, called Molly O, grows up in an orphanage, unaware of her father's identity. When fame and fortune fail to bring him happiness, King fills with remorse and yearns for his forgotten daughter. Upon his return to New York, he inquires after Molly O at the orphanage, but is tricked into taking the director's illegitimate niece instead. Molly O now resides with Mrs. Grimes, a cruel boarding house mistress, who treats her more as a servant than a daughter. When Molly O tries to save her brood of puppies from the dog catcher, she meets King in the street, and he, taken with her charm, brings her to his home to live. Following a series of incidents involving the impostor daughter and her thieving mother, King discovers Molly O's real identity and happily reunites with her.