An Italian makes love to a girl and is repulsed. She favors another man, and the Italian uses drastic measures to rid himself of his rival. He finally becomes angered at the girl and kidnaps her. He ties her to a post and arranges an infernal machine, attached to a clock, which will shoot off a revolver at 12 o'clock. The weapon is pointed at the girl, who makes frantic efforts to escape as the hands creep toward the fatal hour. The lover makes frantic efforts to rescue his sweetheart, but is driven away by the burly villain. The police are notified, and have all manner of mishaps in reaching the scene. The lover finally secures a big magnet, which he sticks through the barred window at one minute of twelve, and it pulls the bands back. The villain listening, with watch in hand, for the sound of the shot, is nonplussed when 12 o'clock passes without a report, and he enters. He readjusts the device, and again the lover keeps the hands from recording twelve o'clock. After many amusing incidents the police finally break into the house and snatch the girl away "in the nick of time," as the pistol is fired, shooting the villain in the leg.