Fanny Foley, a renowned vaudeville comedienne, works hard to support her daughters, Lenore and Carmen, as well as her husband, whose wealthy father Seely broke all ties with him when he married. While sailing home from Europe with Lenore and Carmen, who have been attending an exclusive European boarding school, Fanny receives word that her husband has died. Although he had disowned his son, Seely offers to adopt his granddaughters and bequeath them millions of dollars if Fanny agrees to sever relations with them and abandon her show business career. Confident of her daughters' loyalties, Fanny refuses Seely's offer and enrolls them in a Washington, D.C. boarding school. When Lenore and Carmen, who have never seen their mother perform, attend one of Fanny's shows in the capital, however, they are surprised and mortified. The two girls then leave the boarding school and find work, insisting that Fanny quit the stage and live with them. Unable to endure her daughters' sacrifice, Fanny compromises with Seely and allows the girls to live in a cottage on his country estate and accept an allowance from him. Seely then tries to win the girls to his side, unaware that Fanny has told them that he is not their grandfather, but one of her former sweethearts. When Seely discovers Fanny's lie, he invites the girls to stay with him at his mountain camp, and Fanny is devastated by their eagerness to join him. Later, Fanny hears that the girls are in trouble and immediately boards an airplane and flies through rain and fog to reach them. After parachuting from the airplane and hiking through mud, Fanny finally reaches the camp, where she learns that Carmen has eloped with a poor young man named Teddy. Overjoyed that Carmen still has enough heart to fall in love with a penniless boy, Fanny determines to win Seely to her side. Eventually, Seely softens toward Fanny and, after seeking her forgiveness, offers to adopt Lenore as his heiress. Reunited at last with her children, Fanny returns to vaudeville with Seely's full blessing.