Kate Tripler, the motherless uneducated daughter of the proprietor of a small hotel in a western town, is full of sentiment and has a craving for love. Frank Barclay, a young civil engineer, loved by Aline Webster, comes to the town to build a railroad bridge. Kate meets him at her father’s hotel and tries to attract his attention, but he disregards her. Frank saves the life of Jim Travers, an engineer on the bridge, and they become friends. Kate, trying to make Frank jealous, flirts with Jim, but only amuses Frank. Frank tells Jim of his love and shows him pictures of Aline and her sister, Alicia, saying nothing of his preference. Jim goes east, meets the girls, falls in love with Alicia, marries her and plans a surprise for Frank. A newspaper makes a mistake and says he has married Aline. She writes to Frank telling him of the error. Kate gets the mail at the hotel, reads the letter and destroys it, giving the paper to Frank, who takes the story as truth, gets drunk, makes love to Kate, out of spite, asks Kate to marry him and after a rush for a license, they are married. Recovering from his drunken fit, he is horrified to find what he has done, and has a quarrel with Kate. Jim and his wife, with Aline and her father, arrive at the town and the mistake is cleared up. Frank leaves the cabin. Kate sees him meet Aline, and is about to shoot her when she hears Aline tell Frank to go back to his wife. Frank’s father dies and he takes his wife back to New York with him, where she learns to be more like the people he associates with. Aline flirts with Frank, but Kate keeps on with her efforts to improve. Later, at a new big job in the west, where all are gathered, there is a labor riot. Aline shows cowardice and Kate surprises Frank by her bravery. Kate determines to be fair, tells Frank about the letter, and they quarrel, Frank leaving. Kate sends a note saying she will go out of his life, and Aline leaves one saying that a divorce will make everything all right. Going to the station, Kate sees strikers planning to blow up the works. Aline has an appointment with Frank, keeps it on the bridge, and is ordered away by Kate, who threatens her. Aline flees. Frank sees Kate’s danger and calls her to come back. The explosion injures Kate, and as Aline is comforted by her sister, Frank finds Kate in the ruins, sees that she is the better woman, and tells her that it is she he wants, not Aline. Kate knows that her punishment is ended.