Years of teaching school in Massachusettes has broken Faith Miller's health. On the advice of her doctor, she goes West to the mine in which she has bought a half interest from Henry Slade, an unscrupulous speculator. Her health improves, but Faith finds that her mine is worthless. The townspeople take pity on her and appoint her as the schoolmistress, but there are only two pupils: a half-witted boy and James Ralston, a young mining engineer who is suspected of train robbery. Ralston, accused because he was seen with some disreputable characters before the hold up, falls in love with Kate. However, when he shelters Edson and McGill, the robbers, because they nursed him back to health when he was ill, the sheriff is killed and Ralston is arrested for the murder and sentenced to be hanged. As Faith pleads for her sweetheart's life, a deathbed confession from Edson, the real murderer, prevents the hanging. All ends happily after Ralston salts the mine and dupes Slade into buying Faith's half interest, and Faith and Ralston agree to be interested only in each other.