A struggling young artist, who feels the pangs of poverty keenly, finds himself in a very precarious position, caused by the lack of money, but his faithful little wife remains steadfast in her belief that better days are coming, and in her gentle and encouraging manner urges him on to success. When prosperous days dawn the weakness of his character is manifested, for he soon forgets the little woman who stood by him in the days of adversity, and falls a victim to the charms of a pretty woman who comes to his studio to engage him to paint her portrait. He makes several trips to the latter’s home before the picture is completed, and it is only a matter of days before he is infatuated with the woman’s charms and his old love for his good wife sinks into oblivion. One days the lady in question comes to his studio, and while he is making desperate love to her, his wife comes in and catches him. After ordering the woman from the place, the wife remonstrates with her husband for his unbecoming conduct, after which she leaves him and starts out to face the world alone. The unfaithful artist finds consolation in the love of his fascinating patroness, but one day he comes in unexpectedly and discovers her in the embrace of another man. He gets little satisfaction when he remonstrates with her and she gives him to understand that she is tired of his attentions and wishes in the future to see no more of him. Realizing at last his great folly, the artist goes to his room, where he secures a gun and decides to end his miserable existence. The servant hears the report of the gun and rushes to the room only to find the man badly wounded. Medical aid is quickly summoned and the artist revived. The good wife reads the account of the would-be suicide in the paper, and true to her nature, she hurries to the injured man’s bedside, and through her good care soon has him able to go about. The foolish fellow, feeling that he has learned his lesson, turns again to his old tried and true love and in the last picture we see the couple once more united and living for one another’s happiness alone.