Dr. Mureaux, a widower, has an only daughter, Ruth. One night when her father is away, a burglar breaks into the house. Ruth displays great courage, winning the admiration of the intruder. She questions him about his mode of living and finally induces the man to promise that he will return in a few days when she will do all in her power to get him an honest job. When her father comes home Ruth tells him about her adventure and that the man has given her his word that he will return. But the doctor is a strict believer in punishment for the evil-doer. Saying nothing to his daughter, he makes arrangements for the capture of the burglar. The man is seized and put in prison. The fact that he has been betrayed by her own father causes estrangement between Ruth and the doctor. As time passes, Dr. Mureaux becomes remorseful. He secures a pardon for the burglar, and after helping the man to find honest employment the breach between father and daughter is healed.