The film is set in 1885 and concerns the struggle over a mine containing molybdenum. Although at the time the film as made (1944) molybdenum was an important steel alloy which increased its hardness, in 1885 molybdenum was worthless because efforts to manufacture the alloy on a large scale were hampered with inconsistent results, a tendency toward brittleness, and recrystallization. These problems were not solved until after the turn of the 20th century.