Two men, Philip Whittemore (Henry B. Walthall) and Thorpe (Harry Northrup) both go to the Northwest to gain the right-of-way for their railroad company from D'Arcambal (Emmett King). Whittemore arrives first and D'Arcambal refuses to meet with him until he saves his daughter, Jeanne (Pauline Starke) from going over the rapids. Then Thorpe arrives and tries to use force by kidnapping Jeanne and insisting that he is her father.