Joan Gray, daughter of a Canadian fur trader, is the object of affection of Bateese Le Blanc and “The Beast,” both of whom she finds objectionable. The two rivals duel and The Beast is killed. Joan becomes the subject of malicious talk and decides to accompany her father to mining town Dawson City where he has a business offer. Joan’s father dies on the trip, and Joan arrives alone at Gold Dust Barker’s dance hall, where she discovers that Barker’s offer was actually a lure to get her there. Joan becomes a virtual prisoner faced with the choice of giving herself to Barker alone or to the throng of rough men. She fights for a month to retain her virtue, then finally consents to marry the highest bidder, Jim Blood, a drunken miner known as “The Cur.” Barker produces a forged I. O. U. from Jim and manages to claim Joan, but Jim later returns and kills him and others at the dance hall. Joan and Jim are separated in the frozen wilds, but a year later are reunited in Montreal and find happiness together.