James, the supervisor of an agricultural colony, is in love with Hélène, who is unfortunately meant for another. At Hélène's engagement party, James has an argument with her fiancé. When the latter gets mysteriously killed, James is arrested and condemned to twenty years of hard labor. Hélène is convinced James is innocent but she falls under the control of a gold digger who has set up a dummy company with the money stolen from James. The swindler is finally arrested and Hélène and James are reunited.