A Mexican leaves his wife and family with hunger staring them in the face to get a job on the "Rocking Chair" Ranch, so that he can supply them with life's necessities. Mexicans are not popular at the ranch and the new man is bullied and persecuted until he tries to kill his foreman, whereupon he is kicked out. He plans to burn the ranch buildings out of revenge.
Col. Landers adopts two children, "How," an Indian boy, and Bess, whose parents were killed in an Indian uprising. When the children are grown, How proposes to Bess, whom he has loved since his childhood. She accepts his proposal, thus angering Clayton Craig, Lander's nephew who also wants to marry her. After Lander's death, How is exiled from the ranch, so he and Bess buy new land. One day, after he has been away, How returns to his cabin to see Bess and Craig embracing. How grants Bess her freedom after which she marries Craig and moves to New York. Some time later, How discovers oil on the land that he gave Bess, so he follows them to New York. There he finds that Craig has been unfaithful to Bess. In the end, Bess rejects Craig so that she and How can remarry and find "a trail to happiness together." -From TCM.com Database, powered by the AFI.
Society man Arthur Lee is in love with society belle Helen Robinson, who is also admired by James Holden, a wealthy mine owner from the West. At her father's country place, Lee is unhappy because of her popularity but is appeased when she finally accepts his proposal and ring. Holden interrupts and claims a moment's talk. Telling Lee to wait for her in a favorite nook of the veranda, she goes with Holden while Lee strolls in the garden to await her. After proposing, Holden leaves her and hastens to the nook, seating himself with his back to the French windows. Lee is nearby in the garden finishing his smoke. He sees Holden in his chair, by the light of the latter's cigarette, and then sees Helen come from the lighted ballroom, approach the chair and throw her arms about Holden, sit in his lap and kiss him. Lee turns away in despair and anger and leaves the grounds.
Broncho Billy comes between a Mexican thug and the young woman he is disturbing. The Mexican plots revenge for the insult and captures Billy, who has rescued a lost old man. The young woman discovers Billy being held prisoner and rides for help. The townsmen gallop toward Billy's rescue.
The story is of a Redman, a civilized Indian, who takes into his home a wounded gambler, shot while escaping the sheriff. The gambler has no honor and wins the affections of Bounding Fawn, the Redman's pretty squaw. The Indian discovers the gambler's treachery, and throws him together with Bounding Fawn, out of the cabin.
Luke Barns obtains employment with a moving picture concern as a cowboy and declares himself capable of performing any or all feats such as cowboys are supposed to perform.
Broncho and his wife arrive in a new country and settle. They are treated with all kindness by a man who later turns out to be a moonshiner, and Broncho, not having any special occupation, is induced to help the outlaw in his work. One day while Broncho is at work, the moonshiner goes to his helper's home and forces his affections upon his wife.
Elsie's idea of a real man was a dummy dressed like a cowboy, reckless and wild and woolly. Wallace Carey, a gallant city businessman, rich, attractive, and well dressed, was in love with her, but she wanted a real cowboy for a husband.
Around the film hang fascinating questions about border politics, which I’ll touch on in an introduction before the screening. One of Eugene Buck’s motivations for making the film may have been his rough cross-examination during his kidnappers’ first trials, in October 1913, when defense attorneys cast him as a confused and unreliable witness against idealistic freedom fighters. On film he could reproduce the pursuit, the shootouts, his kidnapping, and his friend’s murder just as he had testified. Reenacting the crime on film may have been the best revenge—and a way to honor the sacrifice of Deputy Ortiz, a twenty-year police veteran and, for the era, a rare Mexican American lawman.
Broncho Billy shoots an outlaw for making a disrespectful remark about his sweetheart. After the shooting he hastens to her home and tells her he has shot a man, but does not know who he is. Shortly after the remainder of the gang of outlaws arrive and, to learn the direction Broncho went, tell her it was her father who was shot.
The hotel proprietor is a grouchy piece of humanity, and when his daughter receives attentions from young men he becomes very irate. To cap the climax, his daughter falls in love and becomes engaged to a fine-looking young chap. When the father discovers this, he rushes out and shoots his daughter's sweetheart.
The doctor, who owns the only store in town, is called away, and leaves his daughter in charge. A bandit has been menacing the vicinity and a reward is offered for his capture. There is quite a sum of money in the store, and when Broncho Billy, a stranger, knocks at the door, the girl thinks he must be the outlaw and forces him into a room at the point of a gun