In the late 1880's, music hall singer Kit Dobson, who is known as the Lancashire Lark, gives her final performance in Melbourne, Australia and prepares to return to her native England with her husband "Dobbie" and nephew Tim. Once they are on the ship, however, Dobbie, who has always been a bit careless with his wife's money, reveals that he has bought a half-interest in a gold mine in Johannesburg, South Africa, for which they are now destined. Kit is furious and becomes even more so upon discovering that Dobbie has been swindled. Never one to chat when he can use his fists, Dobbie battles with the men at the mine office and is arrested. After Dobbie is sentenced to six weeks in jail, the self-reliant Kit gets a job in a saloon owned by Yankee Gordon despite interference from Yankee's paramour and current singer, Pearl. Pearl swears that she will get revenge when Yankee fires her in favor of Kit, but all goes well for the next few weeks as Yankee's saloon does booming business thanks to Kit's singing. Yankee falls in love with Kit, but her thoughts are only of Dobbie, and she joyfully welcomes him when he is released from jail. Dobbie is jealous of Yankee, however, and the couple quarrel. Kit tells Dobbie to take a walk, after which he gets drunk in the saloon where Pearl now works. Seeing her chance to get even with Kit, Pearl takes Dobbie to her flat, where he passes out on the couch. Kit is humiliated when she learns where Dobbie has gone, and when he returns the next morning, she tells him that their marriage is over. Dobbie miserably removes himself to Blue Drift, a nearby mining town, and quickly becomes a disreputable drunk. Tim, who visits Dobbie, lies to Kit and tells her that he has struck it rich. Believing that Dobbie no longer needs her, Kit agrees to go away with Yankee, but is prevented from doing so when Tim runs away to join Dobbie. Meanwhile, Dobbie gets into a fight with the Kimberley Kid, a noted bareknuckle boxer, and after Dobbie bests him, the Kid's manager, Broderick, hires Dobbie to be his new fighter. When Dobbie appears at Yankee's saloon to boast of his good fortune, the two men fight, and Yankee arranges for Dobbie to fight the Capetown Killer, who promises Yankee that he will make it a bloody match. Kit is put off by Dobbie's arrogant behavior, and she bets everything she has on the Killer. Distraught, Dobbie decides to forfeit the match so that Kit will not lose her money. The crowd turns violent when Dobbie does not appear, and in order to prevent them from lynching Dobbie, Kit convinces him to fight. The Killer makes short work of Dobbie, and Yankee's employee Jake compliments Yankee on his matchmaking skills when it becomes apparent that Kit is overwhelmed with sympathy for Dobbie and will return to him, as Yankee intended. The audience rushes from the saloon when news comes of a huge gold strike, and Kit tells the injured Dobbie about the strike. He insists that they go to England as she had intended, but after he recovers, Kit and Tim take Dobbie to the mining town, where Kit explains that as long as his adventuresome spirit is satisfied, so is she.