“Frisco Pet,” an ex-prize fighter, is accused of the murder of a woman of the underworld because he is found in her room in a drunken condition, alone with her body. In reality Lord Ronsdale, a degenerate nobleman, had come to break with this woman, who, in an attempt to blackmail him, took out a revolver which accidentally went off. “Frisco Pet’ is sent to the colonies in a convict ship on which Lord Ronsdale also embarks with Lord and Lady Wray and their six year old niece, Jocelyn. This child becomes interested in the convict and sorry for his plight gives him a gold locket. A storm comes up and in the hurry to the life boats, “Frisco Pet” and the child are forgotten. He jumps overboard with her and swims to one of the boats. As he is about to grab it himself, Ronsdale recognizes him and pushes him back into the water. “Frisco” gets ashore and on a desert island builds a hat to live in. He later gets to find a box of law books, washed ashore from the wreck and with these as his only companion, the man alone in the wilderness, regenerates. Years later he returns to London and becomes famous as a criminal lawyer. He again meets Jocelyn Wray and falls in love with her. Lord Ronsdale, who is also courting the young heiress recognizes in the man known as John Steele, “Frisco Pet” escaped convict. He arranges for his capture and at a party at the Wray’s points him out. But Steele with the girl’s help escapes. As he leaves he drops the little gold locket on the table and Jocelyn remembers. In the slums of London, John Steele searches for two men who were in the inn on the night of Amy Gerard’s murder. They alone can vindicate him. In the East End he finds them. He asks one of them for a written vindication and is refused. Then he fights a terrific battle with his old enemy, and coming out victor, compels the man to write at his dictation. In Ronsdale’s room he meets the police, produces the paper which Ronsdale tries to destroy and clears his own name of all suspicion. Ronsdale, the coward, who sent a man to prison for life rather than have his name mixed in scandal is cast off by the Wrays who give their consent to Jocelyn’s engagement to John Steele