The first act of the play is set in England in the 19th century. The lead character is Capt. James Wynnegate. His older cousin, heir Henry Wynnegate, Earl of Kerhill, steals from the family trust fund and
speculates heavily. Henry loses the fortune, causing them to default on a commitment to an orphans' home. Capt. Wynnegate is in love with Henry's wife, Diana. She does not love her husband and returns the affection of the captain. As the money has been lost, Capt. Wynnegate agrees to leave England and
take the blame. He is then accused of being a thief, which allows Henry to avoid suspicion and protects the name and the reputation of his wife. He goes to the
American "Wild West" of
Montana, where he buys the Red Butte Ranch and makes a name for himself under the alias Jim Carson. In the second act, several years later, Henry and Diana show up. The
villain, Cash Hawkins, is about to shoot Jim when the
Ute Indian maiden, Nat-u-ritch, shoots Hawkins from the sidelines, killing him and saving Jim's life. Nat-u-ritch, who is the daughter of Chief Tab-y-wana, rescues Jim several more times, which is revealed through exposition in the third act. They fall in love and have a son, Little Hal. Jim marries Nat-u-ritch. The marriage between a white man in his social position and an Indian woman is causes controversy among the denizens of Montana. By the fourth act, more time has passed and Diana comes West again with news that Henry has died. An English solicitor shows up and persuades Jim that Hal should be taken to England and raised as the heir to the large Wynnegate estate. Jim agrees to send the boy away. Nat-u-ritch discusses the issue with Jim, believing that their child should be raised with their parents and insisting that the boy should remain in Montana. Nat-u-ritch's father, Chief Tab-y-wana's gives Jim advice on the dispute. At the first sign of Nat-u-ritch's complaints, the chief advises Jim that: "if she will not obey, beat her. If she disobeys again, kill her." Knowing that Jim has made up his mind to send the boy to be raised on the Wynnegate estate, and hearing that she will be arrested by the
Marshals for killing Hawkins, Nat-u-ritch commits suicide. Jim makes the decision to bring his child back home to England and marry Diana. The play concludes with the Indian chief Tab-y-wana standing stoically erect with the corpse of Nat-u-ritch in his arms, a reversal of the usual
Pieta. ==Adaptations==