To escape her sordid past as a prostitute, Sadie (Gloria Swanson) attempts to start a new life on a remote South Sea island. After falling in love with Tim (Raoul Walsh), a Marine, Sadie tries to evade the constant condemnation of moral reformer Alfred (Lionel Barrymore). Based on a W. Somerset Maugham short story about religious hypocrisy, this silent film toned down Sadie's hedonistic ways to receive approval from Hollywood censors.