De kroon der schande

Summary

Melodrama about a woman whose father forbids her to marry the man she loves.

Jess Newton, expecting to spend her holidays alone at her boarding school in England, receives a letter from her father asking her to come to him. Since the death of his wife, Mr Newton has been prospecting in Africa, where the discovery of a diamond mine has made him a wealthy man. At the railway station Jess is pestered by Hubert Clave, but protected by his cousin Bruce, the son of Lord Ravenhurst. It is next to the Ravenhurst estate that Newton has bought a mansion.

At a garden-party given by the Ravenhursts, Jess and Bruce meet again. Also present is Deborah Plunt, operetta star and an old flame of Bruce. Attempting to revive their relationship, Deborah kisses Bruce and is seen doing so by Newton. When Bruce comes to ask for the hand of Jess in marriage, Newton tells his daughter that she can marry him and never see her father again or renounce Bruce forever. Although dearly loving Bruce, Jess choses to stay with her father who has done so much to give her a care-free life.

To forget his sorrow, Bruce leads a wild life, but when this wearies him he tells his cousin that he is going to Africa to fight the rebellious Basulos. Hubert, believing that Bruce will never return, concocts a plan to marry Deborah under the name of his cousin whom he closely resembles, so that if Bruce is killed, Deborah, as his widow, will inherit his title and wealth.

As his African possessions are in danger because of the Basulo uprising, Newton decides to go there. Jess, in the meantime married secretly to Bruce, begs her father to take her with him. By chance, all three sail on the same steamer. At sea a fire breaks out and the ship sinks. Bruce saves Newton and the two men become good friends. The survivors of the disaster, including Jess, are picked up by another ship. In Africa they hasten to Newton's hut and beat off an attack by the natives. In the fight, Bruce is wounded and taken captive. Nothing more is heard of him and he is presumed to be dead.

Back in England, Deborah succeeds initially in passing herself off as Bruce's widow, thereby misrepresenting him as a bigamist. Having escaped from his black captors, Bruce and Jess return to England and explains everything. When they attempt to flee to a foreign country, Deborah and Hubert get their just deserts when they are both killed in an automobile accident.