M Jacob Politz (Louise Dresser), dont le fils Frank (Jason Robards Sr.) et le mari (George Nichols) sont mineurs dans une mine de charbon, économise depuis des années pour envoyer son fils, Frank, au collège et implore Anne (Virginia Brown Faire), une jeune fille à qui il se fiance, de ne pas empêcher sa carrière universitaire. Au collège les prouesses athlétiques de Frank lui permettent d'intégrer l'équipe de football.
Peter (George K. Arthur) is a chivalrous idealist who seeks to win the heart of Amy (Gertrude Olmstead), who in turn fancies urbane Harry (Tony D'Algy). Jane (Joan Crawford) is a Prohibition agent who helps uncover illegal bootleg adult videos.
Un noble Irlandais, Sir Miles, se montre tolérant avec ses locataires qui ne règlent pas leur loyer ; mais cette situation finit par lui amener des difficultés financières, qui l'obligent à vendre son écurie à un riche Américain. Celui-ci héberge un jeune jockey, Neil Ross, amoureux de Sheila, la fille de sir Miles. Neil se blesse pendant une course. Quelque temps après, Sir Miles et Sheila reviennent de l'Irlande avec leur pouliche, qui participe à un steeple-chase. Quand leur jockey se blesse, Neil le remplace et gagne la course. Tout s'arrange, la famille retrouve sa fortune et Neil trouve le bonheur avec Sheila.
Ray stars as a young American millionaire named Jerry who is vacationing in Paris and visits an Apache den, the Birdcage Cafe, where he meets "The Girl" (Crawford). Trouble ensues when "The Cat" (Gilmore) injures Jerry in a jealous rage. "The Girl" nurses Jerry back to health while "The Cat" plots to murder "The Girl".
Jefferson Worth trouve une orpheline dans le désert et l'élève comme sa propre fille. Devenue jeune femme, Barbara est aimée de Abe Lee, le contremaître de son père adoptif. Lorsque Greenfield, un riche entrepreneur, arrive avec des plans pour irriguer le désert, Worth se joint à lui dans cette opération. Le fils adoptif de Greenfield, Willard Holmes, un ingénieur, arrive de la côte Est et tombe lui aussi amoureux de Barbara et une rivalité se développe entre Abe et lui.
The wealthy matriarch Dona Bernarda Brull (Mattox) is irritated by her son Rafael's infatuation with the orange farmer's (Edward Connelly) daughter, Leonora (Garbo). She forbids him to see her, something that causes Leonora great heartache, to say nothing of her family's financial condition. Using the singing talent cultivated by her wannabe father Pedro, Leonara leaves her humble home to later become a sensation on the stages of Paris, as La Brunna, where nobleman and other rich gentleman express their approval of her "talents".
The film is set in the reign of King Louis XIII. When Châtellerault fails to win the heart of the icy Roxalanne de Lavedan, he wagers his entire estate against that of Bardelys that Bardelys can't either. On the way to the Lavedan estate, Bardelys stumbles upon a wounded and dying man, Lesperon, who asks Bardelys to say farewell to his beloved but dies before telling him her name. Bardelys takes his papers and assumes his identity, only to find that Lesperon is a traitor to the king.
Several struggling bohemians try to survive in the Latin Quarter of Paris in the winter of 1830, hoping to one day become famous. Playwright Rodolphe (John Gilbert) and his painter roommate Marcel (Gino Corrado) have trouble with Bernard (Eugene Pouyet), the landlord, who threatens to throw them out if they do not come up with the monthly rent that night. Rodolphe reluctantly starts writing an overdue article for a journal editor to earn some money, but the editor rejects his work. With the help of their friends, musician Schaunard (George Hassell) and bookish Colline (Edward Everett Horton), they are able to raise their rent money.
The film is a romantic melodrama about two childhood friends who grow up to be soldiers in Germany. One of the friends, Leo (Gilbert), becomes infatuated with Felicitas (Garbo), the wife of a powerful count (a marriage about which Felicitas neglects to inform Leo). The count calls for a duel of honor with Leo, but insists that it be done under the false pretense that the quarrel was due to angry words exchanged between the two at a card game in order to protect the count's reputation. Leo kills the count in the duel, but then is punished by the military, being sent away to Africa for five years.