Tom Fleming, a Western bandit, and his pal, Morgan, hold up the stage. Fleming dispatches Morgan to town to inform him when the stage leaves. Fleming now receives a letter from his wife back east, in which she tells him she and their little girl pray every night that he will always remain an honest, faithful husband and father.
A deserting soldier encounters a wagon train of settlers. When they are faced with an Indian attack, he risks court martial to return to the Army post for help.
Iola, the little Indian girl, is held captive by a gang of cutthroats but is soon rescued by Jack Harper, a prospector. She is truly grateful to Jack, and regards him as something different from other white people. Jack's sweetheart and her father are travellers in a wagon-train headed for this place, and, not having much luck so far, he is somewhat gloomy. Iola learns the reason, and promises to help him find gold. "Will you?" he says, "Yes." "Cross your heart?" This cross-your-heart action mystifies Iola. She thinks it is a sort of tribe insignia and tells her people that "Crossheart" people are all right. Iola surely pays her debt of gratitude, not only in finding gold, but in giving her life to protect Jack's sweetheart from her own people.
Ruby Blackwell, typical young girl of Arizona, lives with her brother Tom, and their widowed mother in a cabin in the mountains. One day Tom takes Ruby on a lion hunt. They track a puma, or mountain lion. Tom shoots the beast, which, wounded, bounds into the canyon. Tom instructs Ruby to proceed to the ridge and await him there, while he follows the puma up the mountainside. Ruby discovers the cubs belonging to the puma which Tom has shot, and she immediately becomes so engrossed in playing with the huge kittens that she forgets the rendezvous her brother had appointed. Tom finally locates her. The cubs are taken home. They grow up around Ruby like friendly dogs. Pete Lopez, a bad Mexican, who admires Ruby very much, tries to steal one of them at night, after Ruby has refused to sell the animal to him, and the baby puma defends itself vigorously until Tom and Ruby rush to its rescue...
Old Perkins, a ranchman, has a bevy of pretty daughters, ranging in age from five years up to twenty. Perkins will not permit any love making between the girls and the cowboys, the most ardent of whom is "Alkali" Ike. "Alkali" likes Jennie, and the other boys each have their individual sweetheart.
Pretty Nan Morgan is admired by all the boys in Lariat and likes them, every one, but her heart belongs to Broncho Billy, who proudly announces to the boys one day that he wants to introduce them "to the future Mrs. Broncho." Matters glide along smoothly until about the time Broncho is thinking of putting the ring on Nan's finger.
When Indians attack a white settlement, a brave kidnaps a white baby to give to his wife as a replacement for their dead baby. The white mother goes to the Indian camp to look for her child and is captured by the Indians who plan to torture her. The settlers attack the Indian camp, destroying it completely and killing the braves, while the Indian wife returns the baby to the white woman and allows her to escape. The Indian wife mourns her baby at its grave, unaware of the destruction of the Indian camp.
Pretty Bessie King has all the cowboys' hearts thumping ragtime jigs against their ribs whenever she comes to town, and Alkali is the hardest hit of all. After a series of flirtations she finally takes Alkali for better or worse and they are married. A year later a small son and heir keeps Alkali doing Marathons across the midnight floors.
The emigrants are seen fighting the hordes of redskins. The hero rides to the settlement for help and engages in a thrilling duel with pursuing Indians. The settlers swoop down on the unprotected Indian village and burn it up. The savages seeing the flames, hurry back and fall into an ambush. They are attacked from the rear by the emigrants and from the front by the settlers. In a wild scene of carnage the surprised Indians are mowed down by the hail of bullets, horses and riders falling in tangled masses.
Joe, "The Bad Man of San Fernand," is one tough customer. He sets his sights on a lovely young lady who spurns his advances and elopes with a fresh-faced young cowpoke. An angry Joe eventually gets his revenge.
A western prospector, who has been unusually lucky, prepares to return east to his wife. The suspicious actions of a gypsy horse-trader, whom he has seen loitering near his cabin, prompts him to take his gold to the bank, but on the way he is thrown from his horse and suffers fatal injuries. A young man and woman come on the scene and are given the gold, after they promise the dying man to send a portion of it to his wife. Later, the gypsy, learning who got the gold, attacks the mother of the young people and escapes with the treasure.
Jim Black has a daughter, Edna, who is engaged to marry Frank Shaw. One evening Jim and Frank leave the cabin together and later lay in wait for the stage-coach, soon due. After the robbery they separate in order to throw the posse off the trail. Jim is finally trailed down by the sheriff and posse and surrenders, while a deputy is sent to Jim's house, where it is suspected Shaw has retreated. The deputy is met at the door by Edna, who gives the deputy her word of honor that Shaw is not in the house.
Alkali Ike is in love with the daughter of Ranchman Brown, who is very much opposed to the match. Alkali, to prove that he is brave solicits the help of two of his cronies, who are to disguise as hold-up men and waylay Ranchman Brown. The hold-up occurs, but when Alkali pulls the masks off the highwaymen he finds they are not his friends, but two of the most desperate bad men of the country.
"Broncho Billy and the Schoolmistress" (1912, 14 minutes) is a comedy-drama about yet another girl from the East who doesn't need to be protected from the local dangers. Broncho Billy plays a passive role, and even takes a bullet when a jealous villain tries to eliminate him from the new teacher's dance card. Filmed in the wilds of Fairfax, California and at Essanay Studios in San Rafael.
Oniatare, a young brave of the tribe of the Hurons, and Kowa, a chief of the Mohicans, are in love with Ethona, or "The River Flower," an Indian Princess. The Hurons and the Mohicans are sworn enemies. The young brave and "The River Flower" meet from time to time. Kowa notices this and in plaintive song would lure the fair Ethona to him. But it is of no avail.
A white girl, living with her father at the barracks near an Indian reservation, is very kind to a half-breed Indian. He falls in love with her but she does not encourage him. However, she one day is about to accept a trinket from him, when one of the soldiers, who is also in love with her, intimates something that does not sound nice to a good girl's ears.
Bob Graham gains the consent of Grace Allen to marry before he leaves for the fall round-up. Bob takes with him a locket given him by Grace as a token of remembrance. Jed Brown, who has also loved Grace, goes with the punchers across the range and when opportunity offers steals the locket and forges a note which he returns and gives to Grace, making her believe that Bob has jilted her. Womanlike, she turns her affections to Jed and they are married. Bob learns of the trick and makes a solemn vow someday to get even.