A large silk manufacturer, Emile Garnier, receives word from the manager of his factory at Bag-Tsin, China, that the whole plant has been destroyed by pirates and that his presence or the presence of one of his partners, Robert Marty and Hughes Chavanne, is necessary at once. Mr. Garnier makes preparations to go, but before he leaves Chavanne, who has become jealous of having Marty left in entire charge while Garnier is away, incites agitation among the factory employees and a strike is called. in order to put a stop to the trouble. Garnier decides to stay at home and send Marty. As he is bidding Marise, the daughter of the manufacturer with whom he is passionately in love, a fond farewell, the old negro female servant places in his hands a pair of gloves belonging to the daughter, with an admonition that, “as long as your loved one will preserve something belonging to you, both your hearts will be bound together, beyond deserts and oceans.” Marty becomes despondent over the slow progress of repairing the factory at Bag-Tsin, and wishing for some kind of diversion calls upon Mme. Cantaloube, the proprietress of the café which Garnier said is very much appreciated by residents. In time he becomes friendly with the proprietress and one day she shows him the opium den. Being a designing woman, Mme. Cantaloube succeeds in getting Marty to taste of the drug, and it is not long before he becomes a regular habitué of the den. Marise, in the meantime, has been waiting impatiently for letters from her sweetheart, which he has ceased to write. Upon the advice of a doctor Marty returns home, taking with him two native attendants, who keep him supplied with the fatal drug. Arriving home, he learns that Marise’s life depends upon his decision, and he decides to turn over a new leaf. But he must have one more pipeful. While smoking, one of his attendants, a female, puts on Marise’s gloves, which she has found in the baggage belonging to Marty, and parades in front of him with them on. He knocks the attendant down as a vision, showing his sweetheart lying upon her death bed, comes to him. Crushed by remorse be falls dead upon the floor.