David Armstrong, a young officer in the United States Army, is engaged to a young girl. According to the ideas of his mother, his ambitions will be crushed and his life ruined if he marries this middle class girl. Mrs. Armstrong does all in her power to persuade her son to propose to a fascinating widow, Mrs. Greeley-Hamilton. David gets a month’s leave of absence. Mrs. Armstrong meets him with Mrs. Greeley-Hamilton. The widow bestows upon him her choicest fascinations, but both are much disgusted when he insists upon calling on Cecile. That evening the mother tells her son that he will break her heart if he does not marry as she wishes. She works upon his feelings so far that he promises to obey her and he writes a note to Cecile trying to explain things to her. Back in the home of Mrs. Greeley-Hamilton, she is telling her accepted admirer, Charles Fellowes, that her marriage will make no difference to them, Fellowes accepts the state of affairs. The wedding takes place and Cecile attends and almost creates a scandal by breaking down. During the dance that follows the marriage, Fellowes sends a note by a servant to the new Mrs. Armstrong, and she steals out to him. Their meeting is an impassioned one and he crushes her to his bosom, and in so doing the violets she wears leave an impression on his shirt front. David, having followed his bride, sees the embrace, but does not detect the man. He speaks with his wife and notes that the violets have been crushed. He walks among his guests and in the card room sees Fellowes. He gives him an imperative order to follow him, and Fellowes goes upstairs with him. A lady, who has watched the happening, tells the wife and she follows them upstairs. She looks through the door and sees David with a revolver, threatening to kill Fellowes. She screams and the guests arrive in time to prevent a tragedy, but the woman that David married swoons by the stairs, and falling down their length, is mortally injured. A month later David returns to his regiment, where he introduces the forgiving Cecile as his beloved wife.