Rancher Dan Matthews has withdrawn his life savings to spruce up his ranch, the "Lazy M," for the arrival of his daughter Bess from the East. That very day, robbers take refuge in Dan's house and kill him as they are pursued by his best friend, Sheriff John Higgins. Following a gun battle at the house, the outlaws flee. John believes that he accidentally killed Dan and turns his badge over to the previous sheriff, Ed Williams. John then withdraws from civilization to avenge himself on outlaws. He rescues the son of Chief Black Eagle and becomes a confidant of the tribe, who give him the symbolic gift of a ring. Later, unkempt and resembling a wild man, John rescues a young woman and her driver, Blake, from the new stagecoach, an automobile. The woman turns out to be Bess, ready to take over the "Lazy M," and Sheriff Ed convinces John he can make up for the past by becoming her foreman so that the ranch will flourish. John reluctantly agrees, even though he knows that she will eventually discover the truth. As time passes, Bess comes to appreciate western life, and soon she and John are in love. Attending a Halloween dance with the cook, Aunt Martha Hubbard, Bess meets Joe Dickson, who informs her that John killed her father. At the dance the Martin brothers spend some of the money taken from Dan, and John tricks them into leading him to their confederate, who turns out to be Dickson. They plan to steal Bess's horses, which John and the Indians prevent. One of the outlaws confesses that it was Dickson who shot Dan, and he is captured by John. Recognizing Dickson's duplicity, Bess then looks for John, with whom she is now in love.