Irma Kornelia

On her way to the theater, Vera, star of a Russian vaudeville troupe, is rescued from a falling girder by Eugene Foster, a wealthy broker who persists in his efforts to win the girl. Foster engages the troupe to perform at his home, and Vera, stunned by a fall, awakens to find Foster pleading his love, while Norodin, her partner who loves her, sees them embrace. Norodin, who performs an underwater stunt, asks Vera not to be present for his act and causes her to believe him dead; heartbroken, Vera tells Foster of her mistake; and enraged, he attempts to seize her. The magician appears, pins Foster to the wall with knives, and advises him to leave before the last blade is thrown.

A product of wealth and high society, Patricia Mansfield is sent to Colton College by her father, who hopes to eradicate her snobbish veneer. On the train, Pat meets Denis Adams, a prominent athlete who is working his way through school as coach of the girls' track team; he introduces her to track star Charlie Paddock. Through efforts to keep her associates in place, Pat sinks deeper into the mire of antagonism; her only friends are Harriet Porter and Knute Knudson, the Swedish janitor.