A western Sheriff has a young son who breaks his father's heart by his actions in gambling, drinking, etc. The father tries every means to make his boy reform and lead a decent life but all in vain, and after the boy has assaulted a barkeep, stolen a horse, and fled the town, the father leaves too, unable to bear the disgrace among his friends. In another town he settles and is made sheriff. The boy has degenerated into an outlaw and bears a bad record, culminating in the murder of a rancher in the hills. News is brought to the new sheriff and he sets out to find and capture the outlaw. He does so but finds it is his own son. He is torn between his duty and his love for his erring boy, but finally decides to let fate decide. He knows that, close by, one trail leads over a dangerous cliff, and that the others leads across the hills and to safety. He tells the boy to go and he will not follow for five minutes. The boy goes, takes the path to the cliff, while the father watches him go. He struggles with a desire to stop him but lets him go. Following in a few minutes he finds the boy has fallen over and later finds his body, and realizes that his boy is beyond all further crime and safe from himself forever.