At a reception for Mr. and Mrs. Vance Leighton, three men are discussing the effects of heredity in shaping the careers of children. To prove his contention that the theory of heredity is often demonstrated to be false, John Strong, a secret service agent, tells a true story: Two orphan sisters are adopted, one by society leaders, the other by a couple of crooks. The latter, known as "The Angel," becomes an expert pickpocket, while the other, Evelyn, becomes a reigning belle. The Angel is caught in the act by Johnson, a confidence man. Together with her adopted parents, they go to Havana, where she meets and falls in love with author Robert Ellington, Evelyn's estranged fiancé. Johnson compels her to help him swindle Ellington out of $25,000. Instead, she confesses to Ellington, and when her sister arrives she stages a love scene with Johnson to break off their relationship. Johnson, realizing that The Angel is in love, reveals to Ellington that he is a Secret Service agent. Ellington goes back to her, and they are married. To answer a skeptical listener's question whether society accepted the couple, Strong knowingly glances at the Leightons and reveals himself as the "Johnson" of the story.