This turn-of-the-century tragedy chronicles the sorrowful travails of a woman who endures a series of devastating losses.

Peter and Delilah are a married couple running a roadside café in Nevada. Their stable partnership turns rocky, though, with the arrival of the sultry Sally, a waitress who catches Peter's wandering eye. Delilah strikes back by hiring Sally's boyfriend as a waiter. Sally is initially dismissive of Peter's advances, but when he wins $40,000 in a lottery, she quickly pounces, turning on the charm and eyeing the easy life.

Robert Fisher Clarke is a promoter who comes to a small Canadian town. He harnesses the power of the rapids and builds a pulp mill. One of his employees, Jim Belding, has a fiancée, Elsie Worden, with whom Clarke falls in love.