[2] In 1919, a young Chinese woman, Lotus Flower, sees an unconscious man floating in the water at the seashore, and quickly gets help for him.

Chinese Gossips warn her that he will leave without her, and one states she has been forgotten by four American husbands, but Lotus Flower does not believe them.

After Elsie takes the boy away with her, Lotus Flower says, "Oh, Sea, now that life has been emptied I come to pay my great debt to you."

"[4] Photoplay referred to her "fair skin, soft-golden blond hair and youthful-looking dark brown eyes."

In England, critics praised her for "practically carrying the film", and noted that her performance was delivered with "real restraint and subtlety that only a true artiste can attain.

[6] On January 22, 2020, a Google Doodle celebrated Anna May Wong, commemorating the 97th anniversary of the day The Toll of the Sea went into general release.