Ruth Earlton has come home to her ancestral mansion to claim her inheritance. Accompanied by her boyfriend, she discovers that her father died suddenly under suspicious circumstances. Now it's her turn, as her deranged and relentless uncle targets her for death with the help of his wife and son, plus a very unhappy ape.
Jim West, foreman of John Calhoun's ranch, falls in love with Helen, the boss's daughter, after rescuing her from a runaway horse. Her brother, Ted, falls into the companionship of Bill Jackson, a notorious gambler and saloon keeper, who persuades Ted to sign I. O. U.'s while under the influence of alcohol. Jim, in company with Red Irwin, a tough deputy sheriff, confronts the gambler and forces a confession. Jackson plans a raid on the Calhoun cattle, forcing Ted to be his ally. Dolores, a dancehall girl, overhears the plot and tells Jim, causing Helen to misunderstand his motives.
When a bank is robbed, the cashier is killed and suspicion for the murder unjustly falls on Jim Marden. He gives himself up, and his brother, Wally, promises to run down the killer. Wally, who suspects Mike Wesson, the foreman of the Flying X Ranch, of the crime, goes to the ranch and talks to him. While at the ranch Mike meets June Mathews, owner of the ranch, and he falls in love with her. When Wally and June are out riding, they are ambushed by Wesson, and Wally is wounded. One of Wesson's confederates later exposes Wesson's perfidy, and Wally brings the homicidal foreman to justice. Wally then weds June.
The owner of a pearl bed falls in love with a bitter young girl who had been taken advantage of by an unscrupulous ex-boyfriend.
Barely out of prison, Jim Regan is arrested once again, this time for the attempted shooting of Denver Dan Norris, the villain who framed him in the first place. With the assistance of his young friend Wally Weston Jim is released once again on the condition that he won't leave town.
A cowboy sets out to help a pretty young girl who is about to lose her ranch when crooks plan to foreclose on it because she doesn't have enough money to make her mortgage payment. He puts together a cattle drive in order to sell the herd to raise the money to pay off the note, but when the crooks hear about this, they make plans to stampede the herd along the way.
Esther Clay, wife of District Attorney John Clay and mother of attorney Bob Clay, is having an affair with Jack Keene. Scorned by him Esther kills Jack. Bob comes to her defense and confesses to the shooting. The father prosecutes the son who receives a life imprisonment sentence. Jack Keene's butler Druggett knows the truth and blackmails Esther. Bob's girlfriend Peg Harper summons John Clay to the scene...
Ruth Burroughs the daughter of a beleaguered rancher whose valuable property is threatened by a greedy railroad company
Lightning Bill Lewis sets out to capture Gómez, the leader of a ruthless gang that has been tormenting a border town. He prevents Gómez from kidnapping his girl, Mary, but Gómez escapes. With the aid of Captain Duerta, Lightning Bill pursues the gang, and when it is captured by Mexican soldiers he is free to marry.
Bill Drake is a cowpoke who must prove himself innocent of robbing the general store. The real culprit, as our hero detects, is Tom Evans, the weakling son of a local rancher.
A sailor falls for a gangster's moll, leaves his wife and finds himself caught up in a life of crime.
A cowboy arrives to help a girl who has a note due. He plans to sell her cattle to raise the money but they are stampeded and most are killed. Knowing who stampeded them gives him another plan to get the money.
Bob Warner sells some cattle to two men who later drug him and rob him of the sale money. He takes a job with a medicine show as a barker, offering a reward to any spectator to last three rounds in fighting him. While in the ring, he notices in the audience the two men who stole his money. He knocks out his contestant, pursues the crooks, and recovers the money.
Buffalo is banished to the wilderness after playing a nasty practical joke on his rancher father. During his exile, Billy meets and falls in love with pretty Patricia Farris, who sadly rejects him when he tries to steal a kiss.
A woman married to a defense lawyer leaves him when he refuses to stop defending criminals she believes are guilty.
Jim Dorn, owner of the Bar X Ranch, is accused of crime he actually committed by Bud Deering, his girlfriend Ann's brother.
Buddy Roosevelt, a notorious bandit known as the "Phantom," and his doppelgänger, drifter Jeff McCloud. Bull manages to throw suspicion on Jeff but is himself killed by Jim Breed (John Junior).
Chased by Detective Murray and the posse, a wounded Jim Drake heads across the border into Mexico where he recuperates with the Wolfes. When Murray arrives again, Jim heads into the desert. But in the night his guide sneaks off and leaves him without water or his horse.
