Writing
Arriving at Medicine Bow, eastern schoolteacher Molly Woods meets two cowboys, irresponsible Steve and the "Virginian," who gets off on the wrong foot with her. To add to his troubles, the Virginian finds that his old pal Steve is mixed up with black-hatted Trampas and his rustlers...then finds himself at the head of a posse after said rustlers; and Molly hates the violent side of frontier life.
A cowboy finds himself betrayed by his best friend and must choose between bringing him to justice and alienating the pretty schoolteacher he is in love with.
A good-natured cowboy who is romancing the new schoolmarm has a crisis of conscience when he discovers his best friend is engaged in cattle rustling.
Cowboy Lin McLean's restlessness takes him to Denver, where he becomes enamored of a waitress named Katie. Intending to marry her, Lin accompanies Katie back to the ranch, but a traveling rainmaker arrives in the little town, and Katie departs with him after revealing that he is her husband. Visiting Denver for Christmas, Lin adopts Katie's abandoned son Billy, and soon afterwards, the cowboy meets and falls in love with the new station agent, Jessamine "Jessie" Buckner. Lin and Jessie marry, and the little family is happy until Katie, determined to be rid of her neglectful husband and marry Lin instead, appears and drives Jessie away. Realizing that Lin does not love her, Katie poisons herself, and Jessie returns to Lin and Billy.
A good-natured but chivalrous cowboy romances the local schoolmarm and leads the posse that brings a gang of rustlers, which includes his best friend, to justice.
Molly Wood arrives in a small western town to be the new schoolmarm. The Virginian, foreman on a local ranch, takes a shine to her, and vows that he will make her love him. The Virginian's best friend, Steve, falls in with bad guys led by Trampas. The Virginian catches them cattle rustling. As foreman, he must give the order to hang his friend. Trampas gets away and shoots the Virginian in the back. Molly nurses him to health, and falls in love with him. They plan to marry, but on their wedding day Trampas returns, looking for trouble.
