The Count and Countess Bertrand are prominent in society. The Count is also a lieutenant. The throw a society circus and part of the entertainment is ring master and circus rider Alexander Ivanoff. But in reality Ivanoff is a spy, and with the aid of his wife he steals some documents from the Count which involve the mobilization of troops. When the papers turn up missing Bertrand is court martialed and sent to prison for a 12-year sentence.
When Rear Admiral Bancroft discovers the plans missing for his new battleship, suspicion falls on Lt. Clifford Bruce, his daughter Madeline's suitor, who was seen climbing out of the Admiral's window. In reality, Bruce, attempting to keep his courtship with Madeline a secret, was retrieving a love letter that he had written the Admiral's daughter. Madeline, suspecting Ito, the house servant, of stealing the plans, takes advantage of the fact that the servant is in love with her and visits his room that night. He shows her the plans which he boasts will bring him a fortune so that the two can elope. Madeline then attempts to gain possession of the papers, and in the ensuing struggle, Ito is stabbed to death. The supposition that he has committed "hari kari" avoids any further investigation, the plans are returned, and the lieutenant wins the consent of the admiral to marry Madeline.
An elderly rancher writes to his son to come home and help him fight against a bandit gang that is trying to take over the ranch.
The Unwritten Law is a 1916 drama
When beautiful Salomy Jane resists the romantic advances of a young ruffian, she is rescued by Jack Dart, who has his own additional reasons for tangling with the man. Jack fights the ruffian and kills him. He escapes with the law on his trail, for it is (wrongly) presumed that he is also the man who held up the stagecoach. Salomy Jane comes to his rescue when he is captured and about to be lynched.
In an early California settlement, Juanita, a dance hall queen of Castilian ancestry, knifes her lover, Jim Brandt, the dance hall owner, when she catches him embracing a new dancer.
