Plot

While slumming in Normandy, Andre Lesar, a Parisian dilettante, develops an interest in Marcine Dufrene and so convinces her husband Pierre that if he moves to Paris, he can become a great artist. Then, while Pierre preoccupies himself with still life, Andre goes after Marcine, although he takes time out from his pursuit to arrange a showing of Pierre's work. Parisian high society laughs uproariously at the amateurish paintings, and Pierre, suddenly aware that he has been made the butt of a joke, vows revenge. When he catches Marcine and Andre together, Pierre disbelieves his wife when she truthfully claims to have resisted Andre's advances, and he attacks his ex-benefactor. Leaving him for dead, Pierre then tries to drown himself. The police stop him, however, after which a recovered, repentant Andre apologizes, and Pierre and Marcine are reconciled.—Pamela Short

Pierre Dufrene and his wife Marcine live contentedly on their farm in Normandy, France. With Pierre's old father to aid them, they pursue their simple rural lives. While romping through the meadows, Marcine stumbles upon Lesar, a young painter from Paris, who is sketching at his easel. Pierre, In pursuit of his wife, finds her and Lesar picking up the scattered paraphernalia with which she had collided. Lesar, who is a wealthy Parisian and dabbles in art on the side, is attracted by Pierre's pretty wife. He returns to Paris for a few days, leaving his painting materials in Pierre's keeping. Pierre, who has become deeply interested in watching Lesar at work, conceives the idea that he, too, can paint. With Marcine as his model he daubs upon one of Lesar's canvasses a crude portrait, which, to the untrained ideas of Marcine and Pierre's old father, appear as a marvelous work of art. Lesar returns to find the little family imbued with the idea that Pierre is a genius. The unscrupulous Parisian sees the humor of the thing and also a chance to make Pierre's artistic ambition the means to a successful culmination of his interest in Marcine. Lesar declares his admiration for Pierre's first work of art and assures him that he has only to come to Paris to make the sensation of the century in artistic circles. He induces Pierre and Marcine to come to the city as his guests. Pierre and Marcine are established in luxurious quarters and Pierre begins what he hopes will be a picture that will make him famous. While Pierre labors at his canvas, Lesar pays insidious suit to Marcine, who slowly but surely finds herself drifting under the spell of the young Parisian's charms. At last Pierre's picture is finished and Lesar arranges, as the climax of his joke, to unveil the canvas at a big party to which he invites all of the revelers of his Parisian circle. Lesar works the hoax to its climax with malicious cruelty. Suspecting nothing, Pierre is led to the veiled painting and proudly draws aside the draperies, disclosing his crude and ridiculous attempt to paint a rural landscape. The peals of laughter and satirical comment come as a terrific shock to the poor peasant-painter, and he undergoes all the tortures of bitter disillusionment. To add to Pierre's fury, when he discovers that he has been the butt of a joke, comes a seemingly well-founded suspicion that his wife Marcine has been as unfaithful to him as Lesar. With the rage of a maddened bull, Pierre springs upon Lesar and a terrific fight ensues, ending with Pierre the victor and Lesar apparently in a dying condition. Pierre rushes into the streets of Paris. He attempts to bolster up his courage with absinthe and is about to end it all by leaping into the Seine, when arrested and taken back to Lesar's apartment. Although desperately wounded, Lesar, conscience-stricken by the result of his scheme, confesses to Pierre and forces Pierre to believe in Marcine's innocence. A reconciliation between Pierre and Marcine takes place in the home on the farm.—Moving Picture World synopsis