Bill Bradley, who owns a small house and a one-horse corral in the hills, saves the lives of Betty Brent and her brother Mike from a forest fire in which their mother has perished. He decides to take care of them. When word spreads that Betty is actually 18, a committee of citizens, headed by Cliff Barrowes, whose father holds a mortgage on Bill's property, calls to protest; the sheriff's wife offers the children a home; and soon after, Cliff begins to woo the girl. Bill, meanwhile, is forcibly held by a trio of outlaws about to flee across the border.