Dr. Rodney Prince, having delivered Kate Hannigan's illegitimate daughter, becomes enthralled with the much-abused young woman, and over the years their feelings for each other grow into a love they will have to flaunt society to acknowledge.
John O'Brien, laboring long hours on the docks in an effort to keep his family from succumbing to the poverty around them, sparks danger, scandal, and jealousy when he begins a relationship with his young sister's teacher, Mary Llewellyn.