When Thornton Darcy first sees Purity, she matches precisely his image of Virtue, the guiding female spirit of the earthly paradise in his allegorical poem. Thornton and Purity quickly begin a romance, and when a publisher refuses to print Thornton's poems for less than $500, Purity decides to raise the money secretly, as an artist's model. Then, even though Purity's plan works and the poetry is published, Thornton ends his relationship with her when he finds out that she posed in the nude for Claude Lamarque. Finally, however, Thornton sees Claude's nude painting of Purity, called Virtue, and after realizing that his former sweetheart has served as the inspiration for a great work of art, he is reconciled with her. -AFI
Audrey Munson, the most famous artist's model of the era, played the dual role of "Virtue" during the allegorical opening of the film and also "Purity Worth" the young girl.