Lady of the Night

Plot

Chris Helmer (Lew Harvey) is sentenced to 20 years in prison by Judge Banning (Fred Esmelton), and has to leave his wife and baby girl. By coincidence, the judge has a daughter about the same age.

Eighteen years later, the two now motherless young women (both played by Shearer) graduate, Florence Banning from an exclusive private school, Molly Helmer from reform school. Molly and her two friends become taxi dancers. One day, Molly rejects the advances of a stranger at the dance hall where she works. When her boyfriend, "Chunky" Dunn (George K. Arthur), tries to defend her, he gets knocked down. She is rescued by Chunky's friend, inventor David Page (Malcolm McGregor), and falls in love with him. Page is oblivious to this and only sees her as a good pal. The more perceptive Chunky becomes increasingly jealous.

Page perfects a device that can open any safe. Chunky tells him that he knows a gang of crooks who would pay a lot of money for it, but Molly tells him that crime does not pay. Page shows his invention to the directors of a bank, Judge Banning being one. They are impressed and purchase it. As he is leaving the meeting, David bumps into Florence. She too falls for him. Soon, they are dating, much to the displeasure of Florence's spinster aunt. However, when Florence meets Molly by accident at David's workshop, she can see that Molly also loves David. She tells David that Molly has a greater claim to him and breaks up with him. When she gets into her limousine however, she finds Molly there waiting for her. Molly urges her to marry David, thinking only of his happiness. To fool David into believing she never loved him, Molly accepts Chunky's standing offer of marriage.

Cast