Ashes of Vengeance

At the ball celebrating the wedding of Henry IV of France on August 23, 1572, the evil Queen Mother Catherine de' Medici (Josephine Crowell) persuades her son Charles IX of France to sign a decree to exterminate the Huguenots. Meanwhile, at that same ball the Comte de la Roche (Courtenay Foote) puts the moves on Margot de Vaincoire (Betty Francisco), fiancée of Rupert de Vrieac (Conway Tearle). The de la Roches and de Vrieacs have been enemies for years and Rupert challenges the Comte to a duel. In their duel Rupert wins, but spares the Comte’s life so he will be obligated to him. Rupert and Margot are Huguenots while the Comte is a Catholic of the Queen Mother’s party. The Comte is sent to kill Rupert, but instead takes him to Margot’s house, which he has put under guard so the mob can’t attack it. There the Comte says he will arrange to spare them both if Rupert will agree to become his servant for five years. At the pleading of Margot, Rupert agrees. The Comte takes Rupert to his castle where his two sisters Yoeland (Norma Talmadge) and the crippled Anne (Jeanne Carpenter) live. Yoeland despises him when she finds out who Rupert is. However, when a captured wolf escapes, threatening her and Anne, yet Rupert defeats it with his bare hands her attitude starts to soften. Yoeland goes to see her cousin Denise, who is being forced by her uncle Louis de la Roches into an arranged marriage with the Duc de Tours. Yoeland takes Rupert as her escort. However Denise loves Phillipe de Vois, who is a poor nobleman. Then Anton, Rupert’s servant brings word that Margot de Vaincoire has married someone else. The Duc of Tours (Wallace Beery) arrives for his wedding. Denise’s father is called to Paris, leaving the Duc in charge of his castle. The Duc is revealed as a drunken brute, terrorizing the serfs and trying to seduce both Yoeland and a servant girl, killing her guardsman lover. The castle guards determine to avenge their dead comrade, so Yoeland directs Rupert to protect