During World War I, John Bowman, the captain of a tramp steamer, refuses to allow his wife and daughter Shirley to accompany him on a long voyage because he fears that the ship may be torpedoed. Before his departure, he entrusts his life insurance policy to shipping agent Sam Bullard, who, unknown to John, once courted Mrs. Bowman. Shirley, a clairvoyant, has a vision in which her father's ship is torpedoed, and the next day, Sam reports that the ship has been sunk and John killed. As Sam, using indelicate tactics, tries to acquire both Mrs. Bowman and the insurance money, Shirley, who had seen her father rescued in her vision, sends a wireless message that leads to John's rescue. Upon his return, John releases his wife from the hotel room in which Sam has locked her and then puts the villain out of commission.