Shortly after returning to his Nevada home town following several years' absence, cowboy Jerry Long is approached by crooked Judge J. Drake. Believing Jerry is a penniless drifter, Drake offers him a thousand dollars to impersonate himself and convince his adopted father's niece, Jane Worth, to sell her share of her dead uncle's inheritance, the ghost town of Boom City. Curious about Drake's motives, Jerry accepts the offer and follows Drake to the deserted Boom City Hotel. To help persuade Jane that she should sell Boom City, which includes an abandoned gold mine, Drake also hires a band of desert bandits to scare her and her aunt, Miss Trumpet. After first pretending to be a cowardly city fop in front of Jane, Jerry disguises himself in a black cape and follows one bandit from the hotel to the mine. Unable to catch the bandit, Jerry returns to the ghost town and rescues a terrified Miss Trumpet from the arms of another bandit. Jerry then slips back into his hotel room and feigns ignorance of the night's goings-on, which infuriates the feisty Jane. The next day, Marty, a traveling salesman whom Jerry has hired to be his "valet," spots yet another bandit, and Jerry dons his "mysterious stranger" costume to investigate. After interrupting the bandits' continued attempts at scaring the women, Jerry is chased to the mine, where a furious gunfight ensues. Jerry out-guns and out-rides the bandits and then rescues Jane from their clutches. While pretending to faint, Jane is kissed by Jerry, who finally sheds his fop disguise. Jane, believing that Jerry is actually the bandits' leader, denounces him and says that she is going to sell the mine. Determined to expose Drake, Jerry returns to the mine, which he discovers is laden with hidden gold, and battles further with the bandits. As an unsuspecting Jane leaves Boom City to sign Drake's sales contract, Jerry rides furiously back from the mine to stop her. With moments to spare, Jerry exposes and beats up Drake and is embraced by a loving Jane.