After running away to Chicago from abusive relatives in Minnesota, Anna Christie (Blanche Sweet) takes up prostitution to make ends meet. Finally returning home to her barge-captain father (George F. Marion) in New York, Anna hopes to settle down and escape the hectic uncertainty of her former life. Despite the urgings of her father not to fall for a sailor, Anna becomes involved with Matt (William Russell), who works on her father's boat. Can her relationship survive the secrets of her past?