Summaries

Synopsis

"Boots" has received her name by shining the shoes of the boarders at the King's Inn in London. An orphan, she works hard as a servant, or slavey, and in her spare time, reads romantic stories. Boots has fallen for a boarder named Everett White, but White seems to be interested in Mme. de Valdee, a beautiful resident of the boarding house. Boots dislikes de Valdee, especially since the woman makes Boots feed her pet mice. Unknown to almost everyone, de Valdee is a "Bolshevist." She has come to the boarding house because there is a series of underground passages that lead to a building nearby. When world delegates meet in the building, the plan is to detonate a bomb. Among those delegates will be King George of England and U.S. President Woodrow Wilson.

Posing as a sculptress, de Vallee sets her plan in motion while her associates work in other parts of the city. Boots sees White romancing de Valdee. What neither women know is that White, posing as a student, is actually an agent of Scotland Yard, and is determined to foil de Valdee's plot.

While Boots is working in her garden, she begins digging because she needs more dirt for her plants. The ground gives way, and Boots finds herself below ground in an underground tunnel. She hears sounds of a struggle. de Valdee and an associate are planting the bomb while White is bound and gagged. de Valdee's associate has second thoughts about the bomb and tries to stop de Valdee, but she shoots him. Boots rushes towards the shot, and fights with de Valdee, overcoming the woman. Boots tears the gag from White's mouth in time to hear him yell out to throw the bomb outside. Boots scoops up the bomb and runs wildly through the tunnel, finally tossing it into the river blow. The bomb detonates and Boots faints. When she awakens, she is in the arms of White.