- Wealthy Mrs. Khromova has a natural daughter, Musya, and an adopted daughter, Nata. The merchant Zhurov is in love with Nata, and hopes to marry her, but she is non-committal. When Zhurov introduces his friend Prince Bartinsky to the family, both young women soon fall in love with the dashing but irresponsible prince. The prince is in love with Nata, but because of his enormous debts, he decides to marry Musya to get her dowry, and he allows Nata to marry Zhurov. All the while, Mrs. Khromova remains very uneasy, fearing that marriage is unlikely to cause the self-indulgent prince to change his ways.—Snow Leopard
- Nita and .Mary are reared as sisters by Madame Krofoff, a wealthy business woman. At a reception Nita, the foster daughter, is adored by Bartinsky, a wealthy banker, and who, though he desires to make her his wife, cannot induce her to give her consent. The girls are later introduced to Prince Baskoff, whose worst habit is the spending of money. The introduction was the means of many frequent calls by the Prince, and Nita falls in love with him. Meanwhile Mary, Madama Kromoff's daughter, has become enamored with the Prince and during a visit of the banker to the Prince's apartments, the Prince discloses the fact that he is badly in need of money and a compact is soon made between the two men that if the banker will arrange for the Prince's marriage to Mary he (the Prince) will endeavor to help the suit of the banker in his desires for the marriage of Nita. Mary accepts the Prince's proposal of marriage despite her mother's strong objections and Nita, in a fit of pique, makes happy the ardent suitor, Bartinsky. A double wedding takes place. On the return from the honeymoon, which superficially was all that Mary in her heart's desire for happiness could wish for, the Prince against reverts to drinking and gambling. With the almost successive losses incurred by the Prince, the necessity for more money constantly arises and to save the humiliating application of her husband coming to her for money, Mary gives him power of attorney, with the result that the money remaining is rapidly depleted. Mary's mother comes to her and expostulates regarding her husband's actions, but being a devoted wife she smooths over the matter temporarily. With his source of supply shut off, the Prince resorts to other means of securing money, with the result that a money lender presents for payment three notes bearing a forged signature of the banker. This fact becomes known to Madame Kromoff, who repairs to the house of her son-in-law, where she berates the unscrupulous man for his shortcomings. Bartinsky, suspicious of Nita's loyalty to him, leaves on a pretended business visit. His unexpected return discloses the fact that his suspicions were too well founded. Bartinsky decides to get a separation from his wife and imprison the unscrupulous Prince for forgery. Learning of the banker's intention to send the Prince to prison, Mary calls on her sister and entreats her to use every effort to have her husband stay his hand against her husband. Nita's pleas prove successful. The banker falsely asserts that the notes were signed by him and that the fault was not the Prince's. But meanwhile Mary's mother again visited her wrath upon her unscrupulous son-in-law and during her verbal arraignment word is brought that the police have surrounded the house. Asking to be left alone for a few moments they hear the muffled report of a pistol and Prince Baskoff has passed the pale of human judgment.
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