Entering the area, enterprising "furriner" (foreigner) geologist John Hale captures the attention of the beautiful June Tolliver, and inadvertently becomes entangled in the region's politics.
Geologist Hale has a vision for the potential wealth of the natural raw materials, especially coal, that he intends to use as a means of creating a legacy for himself and the Gap.
The coming boom time for the region requires Hale to establish authoritative law and order that the two feuding clans refuse to recognize.
[3] In the 1916 film adaptation directed by Cecil B. DeMille, Charlotte Walker reprised her Broadway role, starring with Thomas Meighan.
The novel was adapted into a successful stage play by Earl Hobson Smith and Clara Lou Kelly.