When their father dies, Doctor Thomas Thorne and his younger, ne'er-do-well brother Henry are left to fend for themselves. Doctor Thorne begins to establish a medical practice, while Henry seduces Mary Scatcherd, the sister of stonemason Roger Scatcherd. When Scatcherd finds out that Mary has become pregnant, he seeks out Henry and kills him in a fight. While her brother is in prison, Mary gives birth to a girl and Doctor Thorne persuades her to accept the generous offer, promising to raise his niece, naming her Mary.