John Ogle and his young daughter, Katy, have discovered that their little mine has turned to be a bonanza and with this realization they leave for a neighboring town for machinery. For some months the community has been menaced by the daring actions of the outlaw. "Red Alec" Cantwell, who the sheriff and his deputies have been trying to capture, but without success. While Katy and her father are riding to town, a stray bullet fired by Cantwell mortally wounds the miner, and Katy drives to a small hut for help, where it so happens that Cantwell and his ally, fearing capture, have taken refuge. After a fearful struggle with Cantwell and a Mexican. Katy is forced to leave her father and climb through a window that she might bring medical aid. Katy returns to find that her father has died and that she is alone in the world. The sheriff, in the meantime, has traced Cantwell to the little hut and captured him. The sheriff, seeing that Katy will need the protection of a home, takes the girl to his mother, who receives her with open arms and gives her a mother's affection. As time passes, the sheriff and Katy are married and live upon the site of her girlhood home working the mine left Katy by her father. The outlaw Cantwell has escaped from jail after serving four years of a life sentence, and with malicious intent returns to the community to get even with the sheriff for enforcing the requirements of the law. Very cleverly he plans his vengeance and comes upon the cabin when Katy is alone. To make his vindication complete, he ties Katy to a bench, places a gun at her head and in turn connects the trigger of the gun with the handle of the door, so that, upon opening the door, the gun will be discharged. The sheriff transacts his business in town and starts homeward, meeting Cantwell on his way. He immediately rearrests Cantwell, who, with all the malice of his type, boasts of the fearful vengeance he has wrecked upon the unsuspecting sheriff. Goaded to desperation, the sheriff binds Cantwell to a tree and rides home. Much time elapses during this ride and the sheriff comes in sight to see his little child disappearing through the doorway. They all rush into the house to find Katy apparently lifeless with a bullet in her shoulder. Mad with grief and terror, the sheriff returns to the tied and groveling Cantwell and there a fight ensues which terminates in the outlaw rolling over the cliff. The sheriff rides home to find that many hands and prompt attention has revived Katy.