Architect John Chance, before building a "Dream City" for a religious cult leader, Prophet Stein, visits Paris and rescues an American girl, Cynthia Grey, from riotous masqueraders at a carnival. After they part, Cynthia returns home. Meeting Stein aboard a ship, and having an idealistic nature, she becomes a follower of Stein, who thinks her beauty will attract others. Chance builds the city, agreeing to say it was made by the "comrades" so that Stein's motto, "Beauty Through Toil," will seem to be true. Cynthia and Chance fall in love and when Stein, a married man, attempts to seduce Cynthia, Chance tells the newspapers, which expose Stein and his financially fraudulent practices. The "comrades" burn the "Dream City" and Chance saves Cynthia, while Stein, attempting to leave with his ill-gotten money, dies when a burning beam falls on his head.—Pamela Short

Herman Stein, leader of a new religious cult, "Beauty Through Toil," secures the services of John Chance, an architect, to build a model community for him, with the stipulation that the buildings be heralded as the work of his followers. Before starting on the work, Chance takes a trip to Paris, where, at a Carnival, he rescues a beautiful American girl from the riotous masqueraders. They part, knowing nothing more of each other than that her name is Cynthia, and his John. Cynthia, aboard ship on her way home, meets Prophet Stein. He sees in her an ideal High Priestess for his cult, her beauty (though not acquired "through toil") appealing to him as a splendid advertising proposition. The girl is credulous, and Stein appealing to her native idealistic sense, wins her to his cult. When Chance returns from Europe he goes to Beechcroft to start his building and is surprised to find there the girl he saved in Paris. Here, in the course of building construction many thrilling episodes ensue, in which Stein, already married, attempts to make love to Cynthia, and is frustrated by the watchful Chance. Stein has been steadily appropriating the money entrusted to him by his disciples, and, in the tremendous final scene, with his followers clamoring for his life, and the Beechcroft buildings burning, he attempts an escape with his peoples' funds. He is felled by a falling beam, and buried in the smoldering ruins. Cynthia is saved by Chance, and finds in him the unalloyed realization of her ideals.—Moving Picture World synopsis