While Dr. Hugh Standing is seated in his box at the theater, a shot rings out from the curtain behind him and political boss Tubbs, seated in the opposite box, falls dead. Arrested for the murder, Standing is taken to police headquarters where Inspector Burns begins to torture his suspect in order to extract a confession. Instead of prompting the desired confession, the torture sends the soul of Standing, who believes in reincarnation, back over the ages, reliving his former existences. Upon learning of the torture, Faith Levering, Standing's fiancée, appeals to the district attorney, who puts an end to the outrage. She then begs that the doctor be tortured once more in hopes that his soul's wandering will disclose the murderer. Upon becoming unconscious again, Standing recounts the events of the evening, establishing that Maizie, a chorus girl wronged by Tubbs, was the murderer. The girl confesses, the brutality of Burns is punished and Standing and Faith are free to live together in happiness.