Edna and Judith, childhood best friends, are excited to marry John and Phil respectively. John is a poor bookkeeper at the company that Phil owns, and while there are vast wealth differences, all four are friends.
Edna and John resolve to be in tune with each other and God, but Edna wants a lifestyle to match Judith's. Edna and John start racking up bills, Edna is struggling to keep up appearances with the other woman in the neighborhood, and John is arguing with Phil over how the employees at the mill should be treated. Edna and John drift from their earlier ideals of marriage, and John grows anxious and resentful.
Eventually John sends Edna away to stay with her cousins, and she learns that he has fled as a fugitive after investing his company's money and losing it. Edna meets up with John later, and the two live on the run. The two are eventually caught and taken back to their hometown. Judith begs Phil to let them go free, but she realizes that Phil has changed and is more interested in money and revenge. She then goes to her friends, telling them how much she respects Edna and how she feels to blame, and she asks them to welcome Edna again. Phil eventually overcomes his anger and goes to the jail to help John. John is determined to be held accountable for his actions, but after that, he and Edna plan to adopt, and Phil asks for John's help in being more understanding and compassionate towards his workers.