A retired lumberman sends his son to Michigan to clear a logjam, where he promptly falls in love with a woman who refuses to sell her land.
Luke Taylor is a millionaire lumberman. He receives a telegram informing him that he has been deceived in the purchase of five hundred thousand feet of pine logs, which are lying abandoned on the Blueberry River near Pancake, Michigan. Luke summons his son, John, in whom he has little confidence. He tells John this is an opportunity to demonstrate his worth. John accepts and departs for Pancake. Once he arrives, he asks to be driven to his father's property. The car breaks down just outside the doorway of a log house. The inhabitant of the house, Helen Foraker, is the daughter of a late scientist, whose ambition was reforestation. Helen invites John into her home. There, he meets Aunty May, who is the housekeeper, and little Bobby Kildare, an orphan. That evening, Jim Harris, a dishonest real estate dealer, calls on Helen and demands that she marry him. John hears this conversation and orders Harris to leave. Helen then gets a phone call from Thad Parker, who was a victim of one of Harris' schemes. Parker's wife is dying, so Helen and John head for his home. Before a doctor can arrive, Parker's wife dies. The following day, Helen takes John to the location of the pine logs. Helen convinces John that the lumber can be salvaged, and proposes a fifty-fifty partnership. John agrees. Shortly thereafter, they blast an old dam, releasing the logs down the river towards Helen's mill. Luke receives a letter with John's news. He is delighted, and later receives a telegram from John offering a tract of 10,000 acres of pine for Luke to buy. Luke sends his secretary, Philip Rowe, to secure the deal. Soon after his arrival, Rowe, with the aid of Harris, attempts to force Helen to sell her holdings. Helen refuses. Rowe discovers that John has changed his mind regarding the tract, and is now on Helen's side regarding reforestation, contrary to what Luke believes. Milt Goddard, foreman of the logging company, shows Helen the original telegram which John had sent to Luke, and accuses John of being a spy. Helen turns away from John. Luke, impatient for news, comes to Pancake. He learns that Rowe has taken over the local bank, and orders that the mortgages held against Helen be foreclosed. Helen goes to the bank, where Rowe accuses her of having tricked John. John overhears this, and fights with Rowe. Helen then realizes that John really loves her. John is arrested by the sheriff, but is later released when Luke intercedes. Harris, seeking revenge against Luke, bribes old feeble-minded Charley Stump to set fire to the Foraker forest. John sees the blaze from a distance. Mounting a horse, he makes a mad dash to warn Helen of the danger. Helen leads her workers in the fight against the fire. But by midnight, it appears the blaze is out of control. Luke arrives on the scene and advises Helen to blast. Helen and John drive the logging engine through the fire to reach the powder magazine, then start on their return trip. Harris is caught in the blaze. Thad Parker corners him, and attacks him with an axe. When the smoke clears, Parker, on his knees, has a vision of his wife and child. Helen and John come through the fire and place the charges. The explosion stops the fire, and the forest is saved. Luke, now a changed man, fires Rowe, and appoints John in his place. He also supports the forest plan that Helen and John have proposed.
