- The first of many filmed adaptations of Rex Beach's adventure novel of the Alaskan gold-rush.
- As owners of the richest mine in Alaska, Roy Glenister and his partner Dextry go to the States during the winter after Glenister has reached an "understanding" with dance hall girl Cherry Malotte. Meanwhile, in Washington, Alex McNamara wants to send corrupt Judge Stillman to Nome to further his scheme to rob all of the mine owners in Alaska of their claims. When the judge becomes ill, he sends his unwitting niece Helen Chester with the important documents to Alaska. On the trip, she meets and is mutually attracted to Glenister. In Alaska, McNamara's scheme is almost accomplished until Glenister and Dextry, with the aid of lawyer Bill Wheaton, precipitate the arrest of the conspirators and the restoration of their claims. The Bronco Kid, who with Cherry had hoped to keep Helen and Glenister apart, turns out to be Helen's long-lost brother. In the end, Helen and Glenister admit they love each other.—Pamela Short
- Glenister and Dextry, co-owners of the "Midas," the richest mine in Alaska, after celebrating their good fortune, leave Nome to spend the winter in the "States," but before leaving Glenister arrives at an understanding with and bids goodbye to Cherry Malotte, a dance hall girl who he has become interested in. Before their return to Alaska on the following spring a plot is hatched in Washington, D.C. to juggle the Alaskan land laws in such a manner as to rob all the rich miners of their property, and to that end a corrupt judge is appointed with instructions to obey the orders of Alex McNamara, the genius of the entire conspiracy. The judge is dispatched to Nome at once, but on the eve of sailing from Seattle, he is taken ill and is forced to entrust certain important documents to his niece, Helen Chester, who thus becomes the innocent agent of the conspirators. Helen sails, but en route to Nome smallpox breaks out on the ship and she is threatened with thirty days quarantine. She manages to escape, with the assistance of Glenister and Dextry, who have taken passage on another ship. The two men are ignorant of the nature of Helen's errand, and gallantly fight and defeat her pursuers, then smuggle her on board their own ship and protect her until she arrives at Nome, where she delivers to Struve, McNamara's agent, the secret papers entrusted to her. Glenister, who has fallen in love with the girl, saves her life in a street brawl at risk of his own, then secures living quarters for her with the wife of his mine superintendent. In due time Judge Stillman and McNamara arrive in Nome and with the help of Struve's rascally firm begin their machinations. The new faction shortly assumes control of all the mines, including the "Midas," and Glenister, because of his love for Helen, prevents the miners from using violence against Judge Stillman and prevails upon them to let the law take its course. Cherry Malotte, the beautiful dance hall girl, returns from Dawson City, discovers Glenister's love for Helen and determines to combat it. In this she is assisted by the Broncho Kid, a gambler and an outcast, who has recognized in Helen Chester his own sister, whom he has not seen since boyhood, and who misinterprets Glenister's feeling for Helen. Glenister and Dextry find that the Nome court will grant them no relief and decide to send their lawyer, Bill Wheaton, back to San Francisco with an appeal to the Federal courts. To secure money for this purpose they arrange to rob the sluices of their own mine, which they succeed in doing, but are saved from capture by Helen, who recognizes Glenister in time to send McNamara's men on a false trail. Later the Broncho Kid suspects Glenister of the robbery and advises McNamara to search his cabin before there is time to conceal the gold, but Cherry learns of the plan and with her quick wit foils McNamara's effort. Wheaton returns from San Francisco with a writ from the Federal court which Stillman refuses to recognize, thus making plain the nature of the conspiracy. Becoming fearful of outright violence McNamara undertakes to remove the gold dust taken from the Midas and other mines to a place of greater safety, but Glenister and his friends storm the bank and are prevented from taking forcible possession of the gold only by the timely arrival of troops summoned from the nearby post. For a second time Wheaton is dispatched to the States for aid from the superior courts. Meanwhile Glenister becomes convinced that Helen has been a conscious accomplice of "The Spoilers" and intends to marry McNamara, so in a reckless mood he spends a desperate night in the Northern gambling hall, playing faro. The Broncho Kid, who is dealer, plots to ruin Glenister with the assistance of Cherry as "case keeper." At the crisis of the game, when his money is gone, Glenister wagers his interest in the Midas and is prevented from losing only by Cherry's declaration that, "the cases are wrong." Cherry saves Helen from a drunken miner and learning her identity, prompts her to suspect the truth of the situation in which her uncle figures. Realizing the great wrong that she has helped to do, Helen undertakes to remedy it, and overhearing the judge and McNamara arranging for Glenister's immediate arrest, she finds him and enables him to escape with a posse at his heel. With the aid of Cherry Malotte, Glenister makes good his flight, summons his friends, and decides to make an end of the looting of the mines by destroying them with dynamite, thus checking McNamara's activities until Wheaton can invoke further aid from the Federal courts. Wrapped in a world of mystery and uncertainty Helen appeals to McNamara's accomplice, Struve, who offers to put her in possession of the truth if she will go with him that night to a distant roadhouse for supper. Conscious of her peril Helen agrees. The miners, under Glenister's leadership, dynamite the Midas and defeat their enemies in an exciting battle in the midst of which Glenister hears of Helen's danger and rides headlong to her rescue. He arrives only to find Struve badly wounded and to hear that Helen has gone away with the Broncho Kid. Heedless now of all save Helen's safety Glenister rides into town and there encounters McNamara at Struve's office, where the latter had gone to destroy the documentary evidence of the conspiracy. The two men fight a terrific hand-to-hand battle in which Glenister triumphs. Wheaton arrives in time to effect the arrest of the conspirators, on instructions from the Federal court and Helen produces the proofs of guilt which she had secured from Struve. Justice is done and Helen confesses her love for the man she had helped to wrong.—Moving Picture World synopsis
It looks like we don't have any synopsis for this title yet. Be the first to contribute.
Learn moreContribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content