The Shock

Wilse Dilling, a cripple, is sent by his underworld boss, “Queen Anne,” to San Francisco to expose banker Mischa Hadley’s robbery, for which the gang has been blackmailing him. However, Wilse falls in love with Gertrude Hadley, the daughter of his victim, reforms under her good influence, and destroys the evidence against Hadley. Furious at Wilse’s doublecross, “Queen Anne” abducts Gertrude and places her in a Chinese dive to trap Wilse. They are in Anne’s power when a great earthquake occurs and allows them to escape. Wilse is cured—possibly by the earthquake itself, possibly by surgery—and marries Gertrude. —AFI