Pietro Roma, maker of plaster figures, together with his blind wife and his granddaughter, Marianna, are struggling for existence in one room in a tenement. Marianna, with a push cart, marketing her grandfather's products. The owner of the tenement, John Callahan, has long has his eye on Marianna, but the girl repulses his advances. One day Marianna is arrested for peddling without a license. At the same hour Callahan's sister, with a party of friends, are arrested for speeding, the two factions being arraigned before the same judge. The wealthy crowd is let off with a fine of two dollars, but Marianna is given the full penalty, ten dollars or ten days. Callahan sees his opportunity. He approaches Marianna, plays upon her frightened mind, and succeeds in gaining from her a lukewarm promise to place herself under his protection. Callahan pays her fine and then takes her to his apartments. In the interim, old Pietro, who hates his landlord, is informed that Marianna has left the court in company with Callahan and starts out to rescue Marianna. At the Callahan apartments Marianna sees the picture of an elderly woman, beneath which is a small shrine. She questions Callahan as to the identity of the woman, and is informed that she is Callahan's mother. Marianna pays homage to the elderly woman's picture, then, seeing the shrine, kneels before it and tells her beads. Old Pietro is about to knife Callahan when the latter points to the kneeling Marianna. Pietro softens, takes Marianna home, where she is met by young Tony Libria, who is old Pietro's choice for her husband. Pietro assures Tony of the virtue of Marianna, and the story ends with the two young lovers receiving the blessing of old Pietro.