Circa 1900, runaway boy Nugget arrives in an Oklahoma boom town to find his brother...who's a dealer in the casino section of a palatial bawdy house, and lover of the madam, Tacey Cromwell. Together, Nugget, Clint, and Tacey seek respectability in a Colorado mining town. Clint finds work at the town's new bank, while Tacey adopts another orphan, Seely. But Clint is pursued by banker's daughter Judith Watrous, who's seemingly sweet but takes ruthless steps to eliminate competition. Result for Tacey: heartbreak, renunciation, and tears a-plenty.