15 chapter serial. Gideon Trask and his henchmen at the saloon in Arkansas City covet the mineral survey of the Louisiana Territory made for Napoleon before the sale of the Territory to the United States. This is in possession of the Heath Brothers, who seek to use it in staking their land when the Oklahoma territory, last of the Louisiana tract to be released by the Government, is opened to Homesteaders.
William DesmondDan Harvey
Mary McAllisterOlive Heath
Albert J. SmithJoe Dineen
William SteeleJim Heath
Jack PrattGideon Trask
Frank LanningFrancois Bonaparte
Bert SprotteJames Monroe
Monte MontagueHenchman
Al HoxieHenchman
Charles AveryRuby Blackwell, typical young girl of Arizona, lives with her brother Tom, and their widowed mother in a cabin in the mountains. One day Tom takes Ruby on a lion hunt. They track a puma, or mountain lion. Tom shoots the beast, which, wounded, bounds into the canyon. Tom instructs Ruby to proceed to the ridge and await him there, while he follows the puma up the mountainside. Ruby discovers the cubs belonging to the puma which Tom has shot, and she immediately becomes so engrossed in playing with the huge kittens that she forgets the rendezvous her brother had appointed. Tom finally locates her. The cubs are taken home. They grow up around Ruby like friendly dogs. Pete Lopez, a bad Mexican, who admires Ruby very much, tries to steal one of them at night, after Ruby has refused to sell the animal to him, and the baby puma defends itself vigorously until Tom and Ruby rush to its rescue...
In the mountains and hills of Kentucky, a feud has raged for many years between the McTriggers and the Sampsons. In vain did the authorities intervene, threaten arrests and endeavor to patch up the mimic war; all these efforts were of no avail.
Professor Duane, an ethnologist, and his assistant, Roscoe Harding, plan a journey into the wilds of Hindustan. Harding is in love with Lydia, the daughter of Professor Duane, and they are engaged to be married. Lieutenant Tavish, a British army officer, is attracted to Lydia and plans to take her away from Harding by fair means or foul.
Drifters Tom Williams and Joe Morgan have a chance meeting with the sheriff's daughter and learn that her brother Jim is being held prisoner in Line Hollow by Wolf, who aspires to be the next sheriff. They aid the sheriff in finding the outlaw gang and rescuing Jim. Tom decides to stop drifting and stay near the sheriff's daughter.
When an aviator dies performing in a traveling circus, the circus closes and sideshow con men "Sky-High" Billy Wardell and "Domino" Dominick are arrested for giving out fake watches to wheel of fortune winners. After Domino springs the jail's lock, they jump a freight train and arrive in the next town, where Billy falls in love when Jane Higgenbotham allows them to breakfast on her freshly baked pies.
As a baby, John Ermine is stolen from a wagon train by the Crow Indians and is adopted by Chief Fire Bear. John grows to manhood, ignorant that he is a white man until his parentage is disclosed to him by Crooked Bear, a white hermit who is on friendly terms with the Crows. Crooked Bear teaches John the language and customs of the white man's civilization, impressing upon him that it is his sacred responsibility to keep peace between the white men and the Indians.
A mechanic works for his sweetheart's father, who builds racing boats. He begs for and gets the chance to race a new-design boat, but his rival gets him intoxicated before the race and he wrecks the boat. Now he has to make good and show he has the right stuff.
A criminologist and a government agent team up to expose a ring of German spies.
A newspaperwoman finds trouble aplenty when an Inca tribe believes her to be the reincarnation of their long-lost princess.
Daisy Smith (Marceline Day), a floater and non-desirable citizen in most societies, seeks refuge on a tropical island in the South Seas. She meets Jim Curtis (Don Alvarado), another society-outcast and a piece of human driftwood, and a romance takes place that regenerates both and they sail back to the United States determined to start life anew.
Captain Angus Swope (Noab Beery), known as The Black Yankee, skipper of the Golden Bough, treats his crew shamefully and he treats women no better, as evidenced by his handling of a woman he has abducted, together with her baby daughter, Mary (Sally Blaine), from seaman Newman (Willard Robertson). When the woman dies as a result of his cruelty, he brings up Mary as his own daughter.
A picture of the great outdoors, peppered with the thrills that dreams are made of.
Jane Croft is the subject of cruel gossip in Silver Creek, Arizona, in 1880, and is nicknamed "The Sage Hen." The Home Purity League drives her out of town with her son, John. She sends him back to town on a horse when they are attacked by Indians. There he is adopted by the Rudds; and when they move away, Jane loses contact with her son for 20 years. In the meantime, she becomes housekeeper to George Sanson and a "mother" to his daughter, Stella. A gold rush brings John back as a lieutenant of cavalry. He falls in love with Stella, but Craney, a gambler, threatens to expose Jane's past unless she gives Stella to him. The father is killed, but John saves his mother and Stella from further jeopardy. Jane confesses her past to her son and is able to find happiness after years of sorrow.
In Hell's Valley, Texas Ranger Captain Wally kills Jose Valdez, leading Jose's brothers, Carlos and Manuel, to seek revenge at the Flores ranch. Wally is wounded pursuing them but is saved by Rosita Flores, his original sweetheart's daughter, who nurses him but secretly seeks his torture for her father, and also for herself. Carlos and Manuel fall for Rosita, but she, in turn, falls for Wally, leading to Carlos accidentally killing Manuel and Don Flores killing Carlos, with Wally and Rosita's relationship solidified.
A native Californian guide is discharged by the leader of a wagon train because he dares to make love to the latter's daughter. Sometime later he comes upon them again and is in time to save the girl he loves from an attack by the Indians.
Cyril Hamilton is a chicken-hearted easterner who heads west. He makes up for his past misdeeds by rescuing a Cavalry colonel's daughter Marcia West from Mexican bandidos.
A reporter and a detective team up to solve the murder of a nightclub singer who had been involved in a divorce scandal.
In the wild, hardly explored mountains of Kurdish country lives the mysterious society of the Jesidi , who are called the devil worshipers by their opponents. In these mountains, shaded by dark fir trees, revenge and hatred reign and constant struggle between the countless races and sects. Strange festivals unite the fervor of thousands, crowned by the dramatic sacrificial death of one of their holy men. And yet, even in these pictures, which are filled with tremendous passion, there is no lack of warm humor and a cheerful, strong forgiving nature that leads everything to a liberating end. The film is believed to be lost.
While in Europe, Chaddie Green, a society girl, discovers that she has been left penniless. She returns to the United States and meets Duncan MacKail, who is equally broke though he owns grainland in the West. Duncan and Chaddie are married and go west to homestead. Duncan hires Ollie, a Swedish caretaker, who frightens Chaddie. When business takes Duncan away, Chaddie goes to take care of Percy Woodhouse, an Englishman who has become ill at his place fifteen miles away. Her horse runs away, and she is forced to spend the night there. She sleeps under a wagon, but Duncan is nevertheless angry and jealous.