Lord Angus Cameron’s marriage to a woman of his titled Scottish class is thwarted by his secret marriage years before to Marion Hume, the housekeeper of the castle. Cameron attempts to repudiate the marriage, the only record of which is a certificate in the sunken wreck of a yacht, The White Heather . Marion goes to court to prove her claim and secure the rights of her son by Cameron, but is defeated. Alec McClintock, who is in love with Marion, and Cameron both want to recover the record, so they don diving suits and descend to the wreck. An underwater struggle ensues and Cameron severs his own air tube and drowns while attempting to cut off his rival’s air supply. Alec then recovers the marriage record and wins Marion. (AFI Catalog)
Long presumed lost, a tinted and toned nitrate print of The White Heather was discovered at Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam in 2023. Because no original titles are known to survive, new English language titles have been created. The new text is based on translation of the Dutch titles and by referencing the script for the 1897 play, The White Heather, upon which the film is based. The title text was also reviewed in comparison to contemporary trade press sources, the United States copyright registration, censor records, and the published musical cue sheet. Title graphics and typography are adapted from the style of other films produced by Maurice Tourneur Productions in the same year. The color tinting and toning reproduces the coloring of the original nitrate print. This restoration is a collaboration between Eye Filmmuseum, the San Francisco Film Preserve, and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival. It is made possible through the generous support of the National Film Preservation Foundation.
