When Ezra Tilden, a shiftless husband and notorious alcoholic, is accused of murdering Mark McWade, the community sets out to lynch him, but his courageous and strong-willed wife, Martha, admits to the crime. She tells the crowd how young McWade enticed her daughter, Sally, to a secret rendezvous; warned by Simon, she followed and horsewhipped the scoundrel, who, enraged, confessed to murdering her son, and in a scuffle, McWade was killed. John Mason, the sheriff, who is in love with Sally, appears to take Martha's part, and suddenly, Simon, a half-witted, deformed lad who has witnessed the struggle and who is dying from a fall, crawls into the crowd and confesses that he shot the villain to save Martha. Sally finds happiness with Sheriff Mason.—AFI