An ambitious lumberjack abandons his saloon girl lover so that he can marry into wealth, but years later becomes infatuated with the woman's daughter.

In 1884, lumberman Barney Glasgow leaves his true love, saloon singer Lotta Morgan, to marry Emma Louise, his boss's daughter. His buddy Swan Bostrom marries Lotta instead. Barney becomes a lumber magnate by stripping the Wisconsin forests, without re-planting. After 23 years, Barney finally visits Swan. Lotta has died, but Barney is smitten by their daughter Lotta Bostrom, who looks almost like her mother. His lavish attentions to Lotta create gossip and a rivalry between Barney and his son Richard.—Will Gilbert

It's 1884 in the backwoods of northern Wisconsin. Barney Glasgow is an ambitious logger. To the woods, he has what he calls a "come and get it" mentality: the forests are an unlimited bounty of riches for the taking. His plan to get rich can only be implemented if he has some financial backing. He decides that money will come from his boss, Hewitt, and to secure that deal he agrees to marry the boss' daughter, Emma Louise, despite the fact that he is in love with saloon girl Lotta Morgan, who in turn is in love with him. 23 years later, Barney is indeed a successful logging baron with two independent-thinking and headstrong children, Richard and Evvie, but he never found real love. Then he meets Lotta Bostrum, the daughter of his old friend Swan Bostrum and his old love Lotta Morgan. The younger Lotta is the spitting image of her deceased mother. In the younger Lotta, Barney sees his second chance at love. Lotta sees what's happening with Barney, as does Richard, who has his own thoughts toward Lotta.—Huggo