Fred Armstrong, a young physician on the way to Landerman to start a practice, stops at Gilmore, the stage terminal, awaiting the arrival of the stage. He drops into a saloon and dance hall owned by Dawn while waiting for the stage. Jay Carney, agent of the company, who is a coward, is in the saloon. He tries to force his attentions upon Rose, one of the girls of the dance hall. Fred interferes. Carney's cowardly nature is exposed by Fred. Armstrong establishes his practice in the new town, and among the first of his patients is Frank Langdon, an invalid, who lives with his daughter, Edith. There is mutual attraction between the two, and they finally become engaged. Carney has long desired Edith. Thinking that the girl is lost to him forever, he decides to revenge himself upon Armstrong. Dave, the express messenger, is in Carney's power. Carney, sometime before, has caught him horse stealing, and holds this knowledge over his head, and Dave is forced by him to join a plot to ruin Armstrong. Back at the dance hall Rose has decided she cannot bear the life any longer, and she leaves for Landerman to seek aid from Armstrong, who had given her his card and told her to call upon him when she needed aid. Armstrong has left town to attend a patient, and Carney sees the opportunity for which he has been waiting. He plans with Dave to pull off a fake holdup, incriminating Armstrong as the bandit. Rose goes to the doctor's office, and finding him out, begins to straighten up his office has to transact some business for her father at Gilmore, and on the way to the stage she stops in at Armstrong's office. She sees Rose straightening up the office and gets the impression that the girl is either the sweetheart or wife of Armstrong. When the stage reaches the appointed place Carney holds it up. Dave is ordered off the box. The horses become frightened and run away with Edith inside helpless. The terrified Dave tells Carney that the girl is inside, but they are unable to assist her. They hide the strong box, then set out for Landerman. It happens that the cabin where Armstrong is making his call is near to the place where the holdup takes place. As he returns by way of a short cut, he sees the runaway stage and gets a glimpse of Edith hanging on. He manages to stop the stage and rescue the girl. She shrinks from him, and he is puzzled at her manner. When he questions her about her manner, she asks him why he did not tell her that he was married. Armstrong is bewildered by her question, and then learns of the strange woman in his office. He denies knowing who the woman is. Carney and Dave have hastened back to town, and hurry into Armstrong's office. Rose, seeing them coming, hides in a closet. She sees the two crooks hide their masks and other incriminating evidence in Armstrong's desk, and they hurry to report the robbery to the sheriff without seeing Rose. Carney suggests they go to the doctor's office for treatment, and the sheriff accompanies them. Rose has just started to remove the articles from the doctor's desk when the three arrive. She again hides. Edith and Fred, coming in, are very much surprised when Fred is accused of being the bandit. Rose comes from her hiding place and tells of the frame-up. Dave starts to tell the sheriff. Carney surmises his intention and tries to shoot him, but is frustrated by the sheriff and Fred. Fred then notices Rose and Edith, and explains the circumstances of her coming to him. Fred tells Rose that he and Edith will help her to make a new start in Landerman, but she thanks them and says that she only stopped on the way to the city to thank him for his goodness to her. As Rose stands aside she sees a vision of a beautiful lane (The Dawn Road), which leads to a new life and opposite this a vision of the dance hall. She selects the Dawn Road.