While riding his range land with friends Steve and Placer Bill, ranch owner Bob McVey notices a "squatters" mining operation and stops to investigate. In the squatters' cabin, Bob finds a letter addressed to Charles Banning from mining investor Hugh Fawcett, which states that the assay reports on Banning's ore samples show little tungsten or other valuable minerals. After reading the letter, Bob is surprised by Banning's pretty granddaughter Carol, who angrily shows him the door with her rifle. Struck by the feisty Carol, Bob remains silent about her trespassing and goes to town to inquire about Banning's claim. In the meantime, a broke Banning accepts Hugh Fawcett's offer to buy his mining rights for $500. For $2,000, Bob then buys the mine from the double-dealing Fawcett, but learns that a new assay test shows a considerable amount of marketable deposits. To rid himself of the Bannings, Fawcett orders Bart Currie to provoke Banning into a deadly saloon fight. Now orphaned, Carol joins forces with saloon owner Yukon Kate, who sells her business in order to invest in the mine. Out of love, Bob persuades Carol, who is unaware that he legally owns the mine, to go into partnership with him. Determined to reclaim the mine for himself, however, Fawcett causes the mining operation to fall behind schedule by planting some of his men in the works, and then buys out Bob's bank loans from Heist, a crooked banker. Unable to extend or increase his loans, Bob decides to sell off his cattle in order to meet his payroll and curb the growing unrest among his workers, which has been encouraged by Kincaid, one of Fawcett's gang. Although Fawcett tries to prevent Bob from getting his cattle to market, Bob secures enough money to pay his miners. To make the loan deadlines, Bob then pushes the miners to get out two shipments of ore. On the way to town, Fawcett and his men drive one of Bob's wagons over a cliff, then plant explosives in the mining caves. Fawcett, however, is killed by his own dynamite, and although their mine is ruined, Bob and Carol, who has finally learned of Bob's generosity, vow to rebuild and make their partnership permanent.
