Old man Wilson is much inclined to a liberal use of liquor. His daughter. Nell, is known and liked by all the cowboys of the surrounding ranches. Jack Harding is especially fond of Nell. Old man Wilson fears Jack. The manager of the ranch on which Jack works is negotiating with a livestock exchange relative to the sale of a bunch of horses, and accordingly, the buyer of the exchange, Neal Banning, arrives on the ground, accompanied by his daughter, to look over the stock. Jack finds the city-bred girl very fascinating, while she finds much to admire in the young cowboy. The two take many rides together, in which Jack explains the country and the business of the livestock people to the girl. Nell notices the growing intimacy between the two, and is very down-hearted over it. Banning takes a liking to Jack and the girl tells him he can secure a place with her father in Kansas City. Jack promises to think the matter over. Banning and his daughter leave for the railroad station to await the arrival of the stock. Nell, noticing the growing preoccupation of Jack surmises he is thinking a great deal of the other girl, and she decides to exert herself to win him back. The boss of the ranch receives a letter from the buyer stating that the horses must be delivered at the railroad point at a certain time, and asking that Jack be allowed to accompany the horses, as he has a position in mind for him. The men in charge of the horses set out on the journey, which will take a couple of days. On the second stop they throw up a temporary corral, to keep the horses from straying. Nell follows the men and arrives at their camp after dark. She determines upon a desperate move to prevent Jack from leaving. Accordingly, she cuts the corral fence and stampedes the horses. The cowboys, aroused by the uproar, hurriedly pursue the fleeing horses while Jack, seeing the fleeing figure whom he thinks is guilty of the outrage, pursues it. Fearing he will not overtake the fugitive, Jack begins to shoot, and a well-directed shot brings the figure down. When Jack arrives, he is very much surprised to find that Nell is the one he has wounded, and he asks her why she did such a foolish deed. Nell then tells him that she stampeded the horses because she did not want him to leave. Jack realizes that it has been Nell all along whom he has cared for. He picks her up and carries her safely to the house. At the station, Banning and his daughter are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the horses, which finally arrive just as the train starts to leave. The girl is very much disappointed when she is handed a note from Jack, telling her that he has changed his mind and decided to remain on the range.