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Kate Sampson and Peter Woodrow are members of two opposite factions which are jealous of each other, and ready to take advantage of any prosperity that might come to either. In spite of this, Kate and Peter love each other and delight in stealing away to some beauty spot known only to themselves and exchange their vows of love and constancy. The Sampson family have an unfortunate run of bad luck and one by one their comforts disappear, until even food becomes scarce and Sam Sampson makes up his mind to leave home and go further afield in search of gold. It is a distinct wrench, for Kate, Sam, and their father are devoted to each other and bear the parting badly, but are buoyed by the chance of Sam's success in the new district in which he is going. Another blow falls upon Kate. Her lover, through the importunities of his family, gives her up owing to her poverty. Kate's father is indignant, and in dismissing Peter, tells him that the day may soon come when he will repeat his mean actions. Sam goes on his journey with a sanguine determination to succeed and begins prospecting at once. After a weary search he comes upon the banks of a stream where he finds gold in abundance. After staking his claim, he gathers up samples of the precious metal and returns home with his good news. His father and sister are equally delighted with him, and the story of his great discovery and samples of gold convince them at last their days of poverty are over. A listener, however, soon spreads the news among the settlers, who determine to forestall Sam and secure the gold for themselves. They meet together and decide to attack the Sampson's hut. They find the hut barricaded and their demand for admittance is ignored. Enraged and maddened by disappointment they set fire to the hut and a striking struggle ends in the escape of the Sampsons over the burning roof. They manage to save a baggage wagon and horses and set out on their journey to the land of gold and plenty. The settlers are once more on their track and attack the prospectors on the trail to their claim. Kate and her father are carried off after a determined resistance and are submitted to all kinds of tortures in order to drag from them the secret of the gold claim struck by Sam. In spite of everything, Kate and her father remain firm and the settlers are compelled to resort to other means to gain their ends. Laura Woodrow is with the attacking party and is determined to get the secret out of Sam. With her brother and a few others they prepare a trap for him. Sam however is too wary, and offers a determined resistance, a fierce revolver duel ends in the defeat of the Woodrow's and Laura, in endeavoring to escape on horseback, falls and injures herself. Sam comes to the assistance of Laura and carries her to a prospectors hut where he tends to her injuries until she recovers and is able to once more make her way back to her friends. Laura is impressed with Sam's generous conduct and promises him that she will liberate his father and sister at the first opportunity. She is received by the settlers with every demonstration of joy, as she had been given up for lost. She tells them that only Sam knows where the gold is to be found and sets them on a false track, while she fulfills her promise to Sam and sets Kate and her father free. Joyfully they rejoin the waiting Sam and are once more on their journey. Very soon the settlers are again after them and to escape their pursuers, they desert their caravan and whipping up the horses, send them with the caravan over the prairie while they themselves hide in the forest. The ruse succeeds, but before the settlers reach it, the empty caravan rushes over a precipice and is dashed to pieces. The Sampsons are joined by friendly gold seekers and pursue their perilous journey until they are faced with a gap in the hills in over which they are bound to pass by some means or other. Huge crags several feet apart, below them a yawning chasm, behind them a cruel body of maddened gold seekers, their position is indeed a perilous one. A daring scheme suggests itself to them. Each of them are hardy athletes, and, at the risk of their lives, part of them form a human bridge over which the rest pass and then the other swing themselves across and one by one clamber to safety. Once more the opposing parties meet, but this time after some daring riding and exciting struggles the Woodrow gang are defeated and made prisoners. Peter taunts Sam and challenges him to liberate his hands and fight him, and thus end their feud. Sam obeys his behest and the two stand up for a revolver duel. Sam fires into the air, and Peter, overcome by such generosity, will not fire, and soon a reconciliation is affected all around. Peter returns to his allegiance with Kate, now that he is untrammeled by fear of his family, while Laura Woodrow and Sam Sampson also find that they are in love with each other and this double engagement at last ends the strife between the factions and after their remarkable experiences, the whole united family settle down at Sam's claim and find gold enough to make each of them rich beyond the dream of avarice.