In 1906, Easterner Catherine Allen scandalizes her community by writing a racy romance novel and deciding to quit her job as a schoolteacher to seek adventure in the West. As Catherine boards the train, she meets oilman James E. Gardner, who immediately takes a liking to her. Believing her to be as experienced as her romantic heroine, Jim makes advances toward her, which Catherine indignantly spurns. The train stops when cowboy Daniel Somers flags it down, and Catherine gets him to sit near her to discourage Jim. Catherine intends to go to Kansas City, although Jim asks her to go to Sepulpa, Oklahoma, where he has discovered oil. Her choice is made for her when she is put off the train for being in Jim's private car. Dan also gets off the train and is greeted by his old pal, stagecoach driver Desprit Dean. Desprit warns Dan that their hometown of Sepulpa has changed drastically during Dan's absence, as Jim's oil discoveries have caused much dissension. Catherine also boards Desprit's coach, and Jim is picked up when his car breaks down. They then stop at one of Jim's oil rigs, and Catherine is impressed when the well comes in. Less happy is farmer Wilkins, who used to own the land on which the rig stands. Although Jim did buy the land, Wilkins feels that he has been cheated, and Dan is forced to stop them from fighting. Later, Jim asks Desprit to help him negotiate with Chief Big Tree, as the well's main oil pool lays underneath Indian lands. Dan also attends the next day's meeting, and when Jim offers Big Tree 12.5 percent of his profits, Dan advises the chief to refuse the deal. Jim is infuriated by Dan's interference, but the small ranchers and Indians oppose the greedy Jim and support Dan, asking him to go to Washington, D.C. to ask President Theodore Roosevelt for the oil rights. Dan at first refuses, as he is not an ambitious man, but when it becomes clear that Catherine is attracted to Jim's wealth and power, he decides to beat Jim at his own game in order to compete for her. Catherine does flirt with Dan, but hotel owner Bessie Baxter, Dan's friend, realizes that she is doing it only to make Jim jealous enough to propose. The factions travel to Washington, where Dan, who fought with Roosevelt in Cuba, reveals his plan to give the Indians a fifty percent share of the profits. Roosevelt gives Dan four months in which to deliver ten thousand gallons of oil to a Tulsa refinery, and if he does not make the deadline, the oil rights will go to Jim. Dan returns home and gets to work, but as his well nears completion, Jim's half-breed servant, The Cherokee Kid, deliberately sets off an explosion that kills a worker and destroys the rig. Catherine, who has fallen in love with Dan, pleads with Jim to leave Dan alone, but when Dan sees them together, he assumes the worst and breaks off his relationship with Catherine. Later, Dan and his men steal Jim's portable rig and bring in the well, but because Jim has bought the only pipeline to Tulsa, they must build giant barrels and race to the refinery to meet the deadline. The next day, Bessie brokers a reconciliation between Dan and Catherine during the massive campaign to get the oil to the refinery. Despite more sabotage by Jim and his men, Dan gets the oil to Tulsa on time, and after besting Jim in a fistfight, Dan embraces Catherine and begins plans to build their house.
