Ruth Tilden, the daughter of an able jurist, appears for the defense in a seemingly hopeless case in which a woman is tried for the murder of her lover. The woman had confessed her crime and the District Attorney, John Harding, is confident of a verdict for the state. By an impassioned appeal, Ruth wins. John Harding loses his case, but admiration growing into love wins the hand of Ruth. John wishes to shield Ruth from all the worry and struggles of life, and this means for Ruth the end of a career. She feels that she is only a plaything for his idle hours; a flower in a hothouse. John Harding, by a previous marriage, has a son, Jack. The boy, barely twenty years of age, has inherited a fortune from his maternal grandfather, and John allows him full liberty, believing the boy's common sense and training will prevent him from getting into serious trouble. Jack becomes entangled with a cabaret singer, Annette, who has both brains and beauty, but no morals and an evil past. The past is shared by one Raoul Bozen. Annette has spread her toils so that Jack's fortune is in her grasp, when a pistol shot ends her life. Jack is arrested, and circumstantial evidence is against him. His father is compelled to prosecute his own son. Ruth, who comes to the rescue, is retained for the defense. In a masterly cross-examination, she convicts Raoul Bozen, wins a verdict against her husband, and restores his son to him.