Es werde Licht!

The Conspiracy

Winthrop Clavering a mystery writer, is continually ridiculed for the fiction of the crimes he depicts, so he decides to solve a case himself. To that end, he determines to find the slayer of Pedro Alvarez, who whispered before dying that his assailant was a woman. At the City Refuge for Homeless Girls, Clavering obtains the assistance of Margaret Holt, the sister of Victor Holt, the district attorney. Margaret, it is revealed, was abducted by Juanita, a member of a gang of white slavers led by Alvarez. After escaping from a brothel, Margaret became Alvarez' stenographer, hoping to gather secret information on his gang. While searching for evidence, Margaret was surprised by Alvarez, whom she killed. Finally, Clavering captures the gang, clears Margaret, and encourages her romance with cub reporter Jack Howell. This film is presumably lost.

Thrilling Youth

Billy Davis discovers that his father's bakery business is in serious financial trouble and leaves college in order to help his family.

The Gilded Youth

Pinky Cochrane is one of a trio of starving artists: the other two are Sam Wellbridge and Mac MacTavish. When one of their favorite models dies, the three heroes take charge of the woman's infant son Victor. Once the boy has grown to manhood, his three foster fathers decide to choose a likely wife for their "shared" son.

Old Shoes

A widowed woman marries her husband's brother, who soon proves to be a tyrant stepfather to his adopted son.

The Song of Hate

Roman Regent of Police Baron Scarpia, loves Floria Tosca, a beautiful opera singer, but she is engaged to artist Maurice Saranof. Inspired by jealousy, Scarpia orders his soldiers to torture Saranof for information leading to the location of a friend suspected of being an Austrian spy. Forced to listen to Saranof's cries of pain, Tosca relents and reveals the whereabouts of the friend. Spurned by Saranof for her weakness, she must then negotiate with Scarpia for his life and offers herself to the baron in exchange for a phony execution. While embracing, Tosca stabs and kills Scarpia, who supposedly has arranged for blank bullets to be put in the soldiers' guns. In spite of the baron's promise, Saranof is executed, and Tosca, destroyed, climbs the prison wall. Shot while climbing, she falls to her death.

The Greater Motive

Bob Hammond, a promising young boxer, is taken east by his manager to meet some of the better men in his class. Bob promises his sweetheart, Maggie Dowling, he will return and marry her. In the past he becomes champion in his class, and is known as "The Battler."

The Shop Girl

Peter is smitten with Winifred, a model, whom he met on board the steamer returning from Europe, but is discouraged by his sister, Ena, who is more ambitious for him. Peter is the son of Peter Rolls, the wealthy New Yorker. Ena tells Winifred that Peter is engaged to Eileen, sister of Lord Ravglan and that he is just trifling with her.

The Fountain of Bakhchisaray

Based on the poem of the same name by Alexander Pushkin.

Lights of New York

The story of two small-town barbers, Eddie and Gene, who are tricked into fronting a speakeasy for bootleggers in New York City. Eddie reconnects with his sweetheart, Kitty, now a perfor

Regan's Daughter

Known as a saloon-keeper, a politician and a bad man, Regan becomes the sworn enemy of Phil Riordan, a young headquarters detective. The only bright spot in Regan's life is his love for his daughter, Mary, who is being brought up in the Tennessee hills in ignorance of her father's character.

The Goddess

A young girl is reared on a desert island by natives and led to believe that she is a goddess. One day an outsider comes to the island, and persuades her to accompany him to preach about the kindness and love she has experienced. She agrees, but she's soon confronted by the problems and travails of the "outside" world.

Saved from a Life of Crime

Becoming imbued with a lawless spirit, Tom, a street waif of twelve, holds up an old woman with a toy pistol, robs her of a dollar and gets away. Exhibiting the money to some of his companions, the boy proceeds to give them all an ice cream treat. The feast is interrupted by the police, who nab Tom.

The Builder of Bridges

Edward Thursfield, chief engineer of the bridge building firm of Henry Killick and Company, is building the largest concrete bridge in the world. Employed in the New York office is a young man named Arnold Faringay. Arnold sees an opportunity of using money from the payroll for a big deal.

John Glayde's Honor

John Glayde is a stone-hearted man intent on wealth to elevate his family, losing his wife to another man in the process.

A Model's Confession

An important customer at Armande's, where Iva Seldon works as a model, is Billy Ravensworth, who purchases expensive gowns for a heartless vampire named Rita Challoner. When Billy pays for a number of gowns with a bad check, Iva is sent to Rita's home to collect the finery, and there she meets Bertrand Seldon, whom she recognizes as her own father, a society man who had deserted his wife years earlier and never acknowledged Iva. Rita learns that Billy is poor and breaks off their affair, after which Iva persuades him to pose as her fiancé so that she might enter society. Billy is content to maintain the masquerade in exchange for Iva's money, but soon finds himself jealous over her apparent romance with Bertrand. Iva agrees to accompany Bertrand on a drive, but the car plunges down a cliff, whereupon she reveals her identity. Before his death, Bertrand at last recognizes his daughter, and with his fortune, she and Billy begin a new life.

The Saintly Sinner

When her father goes broke in the stock market, Jane Lee is forced to leave her prestigious boarding school. Glad-handing John Brock, an old friend of Jane's father, arranges for the girl to be hired as his stenographer. But Brock's lecherous ulterior motives become obvious when he locks Jane in the office and tries to rape her. When she manages to escape his advances, Brock vengefully frames the girl on a robbery charge.

The Charlatan

Secret of St. Job Forest

The New Teacher

Society girl Constance Bailey becomes a schoolteacher in New York's Lower East Side, telling her fiancé, Bruce Van Griff, that she is sailing to Europe.

Moulders of Men

In order to raise money for surgery for his crippled brother, Jim Barry accepts a job with Warner, leader of a gang of narcotics smugglers.