The Eternal Mother plot
Maris, married to Lynch, a worthless man who abandons her and takes their daughter Felice with him, marries mill owner Dwight Alden after learning that her husband and child are dead. When Maris discovers that Alden is using child labor, Maris, aided by the town vicar, tries to convince him that this is wrong, but he will not tolerate any interference in his business. After exposing Alden's behavior, the vicar dies and Maris becomes interested in a child who has been injured while working overtime at the mill, only to discover that the child is her daughter and that her first husband is still alive.