An illustration of the perils of crossing the South African veldt. The Willis family at Cape Town suffers reverses and starts with a party across the arid plain for Kimberly to recoup their fortunes, leaving behind the son Charles, aged 20, and the old grandfather. The entire party perishes on the way for lack of water, except the little Willis girl, Ellen, whose father steals enough water from the general supply to keep her alive. She is found by a party of Boers, and is adopted by a Boer family named Joubert. Charles and his grandfather at Cape Town hear of the calamity and never expect to see any of their family again. Twenty years later Ellen is the belle of Jacobsdal. Charles, her brother, is a captain in the British army. The Boer war is on and the Joubert farm becomes a battlefield. A great battle takes place and the Boers are defeated. Charles takes charge of the prisoners. A locket Ellen wears discloses to him her identity.