Bud Leonard, serving a 10-year prison term for counterfeiting, tells Bertie Gray, a fellow prisoner, that his sweetheart, Mary Dane, has promised to wait for him; meanwhile, Lou Rinaldo, who framed Bud, makes a play for Mary. According to the prison honor system, some men are permitted to work on the road gang; and Mary gets work at a farmhouse where convicts often eat, hoping thus to see Bud. Rinaldo traces her there and plans to have Bud and Callahan, another prisoner framed by Rinaldo, caught while attempting to escape. Mary thwarts Bud's escape, and Callahan shoots Rinaldo and is himself killed. Though it means an extra prison sentence for him, Bertie informs on Rinaldo to save Bud, happy in the knowledge that Mary will soon have her young lover.