When playwright Curtis de Forest Ralston becomes enamored of actress Viola Strathmore, who is to appear in his play Vanity, Viola induces him to change certain parts and give her more lines. Curtis, who is not as talented as he believes himself to be, fails at his job but is saved by his wife Anita, a former actress, who has forsaken her career for marriage. Anita and her old manager, Bruce Winthrope, fashion the play to suit Viola, and Vanity becomes a huge success. The play's triumph enlarges Curtis's ego even further, and he deserts Anita for Viola. When the play's financial backer discovers the illicit relationship between the star and author, however, he withdraws his funds and the play closes. Still in love with Viola, Curtis attempts to continue their affair, but she kills him because she blames him for her downfall. Fearful of the police, Viola takes refuge in a tenement, and when they track her down, Viola's faithful Egyptian servant Borul slays his employer rather than let her perish at the hands of the law.