Ruth and Jack are in their teens and are sweethearts. Ruth having been invited out to her uncle’s ranch to live, starts out, and is met by him at the little railroad depot. As they leave the station her uncle almost knocks over an Indian, Swiftfoot by name, whom Ruth prevents from injuring him. Swiftfoot is struck with admiration for Ruth, and noticing that she has dropped her glove, gallops after the wagon, and hands it to her. Two weeks later Ruth goes out riding through the rough western country, and getting off her pony to admire the scenery, slips over a fifty-foot precipice into the boiling torrent below. Swiftfoot, coming by, sees the pony and quickly perceives Ruth’s plight. Taking a rope from his saddle, he lowers himself from an overhanging rock and catches her as she sweeps along. With difficulty he climbs up the cliff with Ruth on his shoulder, and throwing her across his horse takes her back to the ranch, where under proper treatment she soon recovers. As a token of gratitude her uncle decides to have Swiftfoot educated, and before he leaves the ranch Ruth gives him a rose which he places in his pocket and treasures. Four years later Ruth, who has returned east, invites Jack to come and see her, and tells him to bring along that roommate of his that he has written is such a good fellow. What is her surprise to find that it is Swiftfoot who is at college with Jack. She tells Jack the story of the accident. While doing so, Swiftfoot sees through the mirror in an adjoining room the two sweethearts kiss, and sees that he has no chance to win Ruth’s love, so decides to return to his people. His tribe, however, refuse to welcome one of their number who has become civilized, and he wanders off to the spot where he rescued Ruth. He pulls out the dried rose, mid looking at it he sees a picture of Ruth struggling in the torrent for her life. Without hesitation he dives from the precipice deep into the roaring rapids, never to appear again.