John B. Smart, an American author in search of solitude and an atmosphere for a new story, purchases an old castle in Switzerland. Upon moving in, he discovers a beautiful woman hiding with a baby in the east tower. She tells him that she is Aline, the daughter of an American millionaire and the divorced wife of Count Tarnowsky, who has squandered her money and treated her brutally and to whom the courts have awarded their child. The count comes to the castle and confronts Smart, who thrashes him soundly and has him thrown into the dungeon. Smart then takes Aline and her child on a sleigh and speeds to the Italian border. The count escapes and pursues them, but they safely cross the border and Aline consents to be Smart's wife.