Betty is the telegraph operator at the railway station in the small town of Oreland. She realizes that the new guest at the local boarding house is “Smoke Up Smith, a notorious car thief”. Betty and the other guests devise a plan to capture Smith, but while Betty is telegraphing news of Smith’s whereabouts to the proper authorities, Smith manages to slip out of his handcuffs and flee the town. Betty re-captures Smith following a locomotive chase, and turns him over to a detective who is also Betty’s boyfriend.