Owen Wister

A cowboy finds himself betrayed by his best friend and must choose between bringing him to justice and alienating the pretty schoolteacher he is in love with.

Arriving at Medicine Bow, eastern schoolteacher Molly Woods meets two cowboys, irresponsible Steve and the "Virginian," who gets off on the wrong foot with her. To add to his troubles, the Virginian finds that his old pal Steve is mixed up with black-hatted Trampas and his rustlers...then finds himself at the head of a posse after said rustlers; and Molly hates the violent side of frontier life.

A good-natured cowboy who is romancing the new schoolmarm has a crisis of conscience when he discovers his best friend is engaged in cattle rustling.

Molly Wood arrives in a small western town to be the new schoolmarm. The Virginian, foreman on a local ranch, takes a shine to her, and vows that he will make her love him. The Virginian's best friend, Steve, falls in with bad guys led by Trampas. The Virginian catches them cattle rustling. As foreman, he must give the order to hang his friend. Trampas gets away and shoots the Virginian in the back. Molly nurses him to health, and falls in love with him. They plan to marry, but on their wedding day Trampas returns, looking for trouble.

Lin McLean , um cowboy mulherengo, namorisca Katie Lusk mas é rejeitado. Desolado, encontra Tommy Lusk nas ruas de Denver e ficam amigos. Acontece que a mãe do rapaz é precisamente a mulher que o rejeitou. Katy tenta reconquistar Lin, que entretanto conheceu Jessamine Buckner e que se torna na mulher dos seus sonhos. Katy suicida-se e Lin, Jessamine e Tommy começam uma nova vida juntos.

A good-natured but chivalrous cowboy romances the local schoolmarm and leads the posse that brings a gang of rustlers, which includes his best friend, to justice.