Bessie Love was the star of this now lost 1918 western/romance silent film. This story was adapted from a Bret Harte novel, The Judgement of Bolinas Plains. It is a story about a young girl, Sue Prescott ( Bessie Love ) who with her parents move to the gold fields. Her mother soon dies, and her father ( George A. Williams ) marries her off to rancher Ira Beasley ( John Gilbert ). It is a loveless marriage of complete indifference, neither Sue and Ira have any interest for each other. A circus comes to town and a handsome acrobat Jim Wynd ( J.Frank Glendon ) catches Sue's fancy. During a brawl Jim shoots a man, and while hiding in Ira's barn , he convinces Sue to run away with him. Sheriff ( George Kunkle ) happens upon the couple in the barn and Jim shots him. Jim is put on trial and sentenced to be hanged. Sue is heartbroken at the loss of her one true romance. The Dawn of Understanding is another sad loss of an early Bessie Love film with a young John Gilbert who would become one of silent cinema's highest paid matinée idol.