Stanford Stone sees the circle of the Graft Trust narrowing down and it worries him. He knows that while Dorothy Maxwell lives he is in danger, as Dorothy will expose his connection with the Trust organization whenever her sense of loyalty to her father shall have succumbed to her sense of duty to the right. So he determines to put the girl he was once engaged to out of the way. Dorothy has seen the look in Stone's eyes and reads the threat they contain. The worry causes her illness. Stone discovers that the Maxwell family physician is out of town, and that they have sent for a strange doctor. Stone has one of his secret agents call on Dorothy as the doctor, while he introduces one of his female spies to Dr. Parks, the physician called in the case, as Dorothy. Dr. Parks finds there is nothing the matter with the supposed Dorothy, leaves a simple prescription and says there is no need to make an additional call. Stone has the prescription filled, then adds enough strychnine to make a single dose fatal and has his agent deliver it to Dorothy. Old Molly Kelly, the good-natured nurse, is in charge of the sick room. She does not like the looks of the "doctor," nor has she much faith in his medicine. She tastes it, and with the remark, "I don't believe the bitter stuff will do the poor darlin' any good." she tosses the bottle and all out of the window, giving Dorothy a spoonful of whiskey, from her own private bottle instead. In the meantime, the activity of the Powder and Arms companies have attracted the attention of Robt. Harding. Their taking up of a large part of the foreign war loan, their handling of several minor strikes by the "closed shop" system, and the suspicion that they are engaged in furthering the interests of the warring nations to the detriment of the neutrality of the United States, causes Harding to think that the syndicate is a ripe find for his investigation. With the aid of Jack Stevens, the reporter, Harding unearths a shipment of arms and ammunition being smuggled into Mexico. A clue connecting the powder company with the shipment is found. The news of the discovery of the smuggled arms is telephoned to Du Berg, head of the Powder Trust, who was just in the act of receiving a large check from the Mexican Junta. Their rage is mingled with his and directed against Harding, the meddler. They openly declare they will kill him, if given the chance. Du Berg telephones this information to Stone, asking if Harding can be gotten out to the factory. Stone thinks it possible, and goes to the independent office to try. He finds Harding and Stevens preparing a big article aimed against the Powder concern. Stone tells Harding that Du Berg is the head of the merger and advises him to see him personally before publishing the article. Harding thanks Stone for the information and starts at once. A little later, in the office of the Graft Trust, Stone informs the two members present that Robt. Harding is rushing to his death at that very moment, and their other enemy, Dorothy Maxwell is, in all probability, dead. But Dorothy was phoning to the independent office for Harding. When Stevens informs her that Stone had sent Harding to the Du Berg Powder Plant, Dorothy suspects a trap, and despite the protests of Molly, she rushes after Harding in an automobile. While Du Berg and the Mexicans prepare to treacherously assassinate Harding, a spy of one of the warring foreign nations, is planning to destroy the Powder Plant. He places an infernal machine with a clock-like arrangement outside the wall near the powder house. A little school girl stops beside it, attracted by the ticking. The spy sees her, and horrified at the needless sacrifice of the child, rushes past her, grabbing her up in his arms as he runs. She screams. Harding is just walking into the tunnel lending to the works, where the assassins are waiting for him, when he hears the scream. Seeing a man fleeing with a child, he thinks it an abduction and sets out after him. The Mexicans, disappointed, follow him. They arrive opposite the infernal machine just as the explosion occurs which blows up the plant, killing them as well as Du Berg. Dorothy has arrived too late to warn Harding, and fears he is lost in the explosion. She is overjoyed to find him alive and well. Harding adds another name to the list.