Jack Pemberton, a newspaper reporter in love with Betty Standish, the governor's daughter, learns that Velvet, a notorious criminal, is planning to abduct Betty in order to force her father to sign a pardon freeing Velvet's brother, who is in the "big house" waiting to be hanged. Jack tries to warn Betty but to no avail, and she falls into Velvet's hands; Jack later gets on Velvet's trail, and the abductor tries to escape in a balloon. Jack rescues Betty, and Velvet falls to his death.