Rancher John Stafford hires daredevil cowboy Ned Ferguson to hunt down cattle rustlers. En route to the ranch Ned is bitten by a rattlesnake and is nursed by Mary Radford, who is writing a western novel. Ranch foreman Dave Leviatt is jealous of Mary's interest in Ned and convinces Stafford that Mary's brother Ben is the head of the rustlers. Leviatt shoots Ben in the back, and Ben is convinced that Ned is responsible. Mary will have nothing to do with Ned, even after he rescues her from a cattle stampede. Finally, Leviatt is captured and confesses the truth, and Mary accepts Ned as her real, rather than fictional, hero.