The Bearcat, alias The Singin' Kid, crosses the Rio Grande into Three Pines, singing bloodthirsty verses, but in spite of these he makes friends with Sheriff Bill Garfield and likewise with Alys May, daughter of cattle rancher John P. May, by saving her from a runaway. As a reward he gets a job on the ranch and falls in love with Alys, though warned she is engaged to Aitken, her brother's college chum. Aitken and Peter return from college, and Aitken becomes involved in an affair with Mary Lang, a former sweetheart in a neighboring town, who wants a payment to forget the flirtation. The Kid keeps Aitken from paying, and when Mary's accomplice is murdered he takes the blame, but later he proves himself innocent. Aitken departs for the East, leaving the field free to the Kid and Alys.