Frank, in love with Helen Hubbard, lives beyond his means in order to buy her costly presents. He works for her father. His own father is in danger of disgrace owing to financial troubles, and Frank steals from his employer to assist his parents. Then to recoup, he plays the market with some more ill-gotten money and loses. He thought it was Hubbard's tip that he was playing. He gets work on a schooner sailing for the South Pacific. A mutiny springs up and he is marooned with the captain. After many days of hardships their little boat comes to an island, but too late to save the captain. Frank meets the missionary and his daughter, Ruth. A man plus a girl plus a paradise of an island equals love. At home Helen sells all of Frank's presents and pays her father back all that Frank had taken. Then she waits. A year passes. The call of the white man is heavy on Frank; the new life is too exotic. Ruth has never known any other life and cannot understand his desire to get "home." The semi-annual boat comes to their island and the call of home becomes a passion. Ruth, seeing this, tells him to return; she will be happy in his happiness. He does, even though her heart breaks. At home he finds his debt squared and Helen engaged to Warren. One night he follows a strange man into his former office. Thinking it to be a burglar, he telephones the police and to Hubbard. Then the burglar's hat falls off and Frank recognizes him as Warren and decides to save him for Helen's sake. Warren was taking the money to cover a defalcation. The police and Hubbard with Helen are heard coming, so there is no escape. Frank makes up the deficit in the safe from his own resources, and then pretends that Warren has captured him. Frank is spared by Helen's pleadings. She guesses the truth, and Warren has been taught a severe lesson. The call of the tropics and an Island Paradise are strong and Frank returns to Ruth.