Dorothy Gordon's mother accepts $1 million from Geoffery Marsh in order to marry her daughter. Despite her mother's efforts, Dorothy is actually in love with an unknown, experimental brain surgeon, Dr. Robert Brent. Dorothy informs Marsh that she does not, has not, and will never love him but he agrees to marry her anyway. On their wedding night, Marsh attempts to rape Dorothy on his yacht. While this is going on, the sea rages and the yacht undergoes a lot of damage. While the yacht falls apart, Marsh suffers several blows to the head and Dorothy tries to drag his body to safety but cannot. Marsh and Dorothy's mother (who was accompanying them) both perish in the shipwreck. Some time passes and Dorothy returns home. Her mother's luggage is recovered and Dorothy finds all the letters she had written to Dr. Brent and the letters he wrote to her that her mother had intercepted. Dr. Brent reenters Dorothy's life and they marry and have a child. Three years later Dr. Brent tells Dorothy that he is going to perform experimental brain surgery on a man who was pulled from the sea with no memory of his life. It is later revealed that this man is Dorothy's first husband, Geoffrey Marsh, who survived the shipwreck. Dorothy urges Dr. Brent not to restore Marsh's memory because it would threaten their current happiness but Dr. Brent sees it as his "duty" to help Marsh in anyway he can.