Bob Ramsey, smitten with Mary Hamilton, is seeking a lost fortune in an old, decaying house where there is an uncanny and unseen presence that provides a mysteriously threatening and brooding peril to both.

Bob Ramsey, who loves Mary, niece of banker Cyrus Hamilton, declines to propose to her because of his poverty and devotes himself to uncovering missing securities belonging to his uncle, though he operates a public garage with the assistance of Remus, a devoted Negro. Receiving notice from his uncle's lawyers, Bob is advised to search his uncle's deserted house for the securities; his cousin Ralph, who also loves Mary, also sets out, secretly, to find the treasure. Mary conspires with her uncle to plant bonds in the house, hoping to facilitate an engagement. Bob discovers Cheney, Mary, and her uncle, when Cheney, trying to hide, takes refuge in the very closet that conceals Mary and Hamilton; he locks up Cheney. Later, Cheney is found strangled; and by trailing an ape, Bob discovers that Simmons, the caretaker, has stolen the securities found by his cousin. The ape attacks Bob but then revolts and kills Simmons. Bob and Mary are happily united.—AFI