Waterfront Wolves (1924)

Some valuable pearls are stolen in China and transported to San Francisco. Jane Hampton learns that her father is the smuggler, and that police are on his trail. Under pressure, she takes the pearls to a Chinese man named Woo Fong. She is surprised to find Woo Fong is fascinated by a small Buddha figure she has worn since childhood. He promises her that it will always protect her. However, when she goes to the docks, she is badly injured by attackers. David Benton picks her up and takes her on his boat to a little town up the coast, where his mother can take care of her. Explaining that she must return the jewels to their rightful owner, she entrusts them to David. He is attacked on his boat, and when he opens the packet of pearls, he discovers that they are only pebbles. Woo Fong had switched the pearls in order to protect them from the thieves. David eventually beats Jane's father in a fight, then claims her hand in marriage.