Plot

Jim Gordon, a stranger to Paluski, a Western mining settlement, does not drink or gamble, and refuses dance hall girls' advances. Gonda, the dance hall queen, accepts a wager by gambling proprietor "Ace High" Lawton, who is hopelessly in love with her, that she cannot seduce Gordon. After a drunken miner attempts to shoot Gonda, Gordon protects her, but when she tries to induce Gordon to drink, he knocks her glass from her hand, thus beginning a barroom brawl. Although Gordon wins, he is injured. While Gonda nurses him, they fall in love and plan to marry, but Gordon discourages Gonda from becoming pregnant. When Gordon receives a letter from his wife back East containing a knitted baby shoe and news that he has been proven innocent of a murder charge, he leaves Gonda some gold and starts home. Thinking that Gordon wronged Gonda, Lawton throws him from a cliff. After an Indian trapper robs Gordon, Gordon attempts to rob the gambling hall but fails. He is about to be lynched when Gonda, who has discovered the letter, arranges for Gordon's escape for the sake of his son and agrees to marry Lawton, who then misleads the party trailing Gordon.—Moving Picture World synopsis

Gonda was a woman of Paluski, a western settlement in the gold country, where life was in the raw. She typified the savage abandon of the land, commanding the homage of the camp. Into this atmosphere came Jim Gordon, who did not participate in the activities. Wonda made a bet with Jim Lawton, the gambler, and one of her greatest admirers, she could interest the indifferent stranger. Lawton was to buy her a new dress if she won. One night Gonda lured a man to drink and then to spend his money. The miner started to shoot at her, calling her "The Devil's Decoy." Gordon stepped in front of her, and the miner, hesitating, was disarmed. She later tried to make him drink. He smashed the whiskey glass from her hand. A miner saw the incident and commanded Gordon to apologize. He Knocked the gun from the miner's hand and defied all his friends. A fight followed. When hit from behind with a bottle he fell. Gonda saved his life. When she took him to his cabin she told of her love. They lived happily together until the desire of motherhood awoke in Gonda. Gordon discouraged it. Then a letter came telling Gordon he need not be a fugitive as he had not killed the man he attacked in the east. His wife wrote, enclosing her baby's shoe. Gordon left a note of farewell without saying good-bye to Gonda. On the trail he was waylaid and robbed. Gonda was infuriated at him. She returned to the old life in the dance hall. Gordon needed money. He returned and held up the dance hall where Gonda worked, was identified and arrested. Gonda saved him from hanging by bargaining to give herself forever to gambler Lawton in exchange for Gordon's life. She did so for Gordon's baby.